Shorties
by JESUSFREAK-And-Proud-Of-It
Summary: Nope-not Smarties, though I do like the candy. A collection of unconnected one-shots. You request, I write, and insanity all around. The theme is anything and everything Avatar! Short 37: Little Glimpse of Light. R&R&R! Rated T for safety.
1. Shorty

**A/N:** I really probably shouldn't be starting this, but I'm on a three-day weekend and I couldn't resist! Here's a little teaser for you guys to get started on...review...and don't forget to leave a prompt! I'll take just about any main ship...several minor ones are okay also. Friend-to-friend shipping is what I do best, though I'm up for any challenge you feel like throwing!! All drabble-shots will be under 800 words...which will be a major challenge for me anyway, so chuck 'em! Throw 'em! Shoot 'em out of a cannon! Whoo!

**Disclaimer:** This collection is strictly fanfiction, I have nothing to do whatsoever with the creators of Avatar and I'm not making any money off of this...whatchamacallit. This idea was inspired by **Domestic Servant, **whose fics you all should go and read...especially if your up for crack, because it's absofantastiposolutely! That makes no sense! Oh well! I take no credit for the actual concept of this collection!!

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**Short**

"Hey, Sokka, can I ask you a question?"

The warrior glanced up from where he had been lying on his stomach sprawled on the floor, a map-scroll laid out flat before him. Meeting his friend's earnest gaze, Sokka patted the space beside him and sat up, pushing the scroll away. His eyebrows twitched knowingly in a comical expression. "Sure, Aang, why not? I have nothing else to do. What is it you need from the Therapist today?"

Aang took a seat on the stone floor beside the water tribesman, folding his legs beneath him in a lotus position. Opening his mouth in a toothy smile, the airbender's expression suddenly soured, and he glanced sideways at Sokka. In a very serious manner, he stated, "Screaming into a sheep will _not _help me, Sokka. It didn't before, and it won't now."

The warrior held his palms forward with an indignant huff. "Hey, who said you should scream into a _sheep_? There are much better things to scream into...here--try this pillow!" He promptly shoved a green, gold-hemmed floor cushion into Aang's face.

"Wait!" the airbender protested, holding up his arms defensively, "You haven't heard my problem yet!"

Sokka sighed morosely, pulling the pillow into his lap dejectedly. "_Fine..._what's your issue _this _time?"

Aang hesitated, but for only a moment. He seemed to resolve any mental uncertainties before blurting out, "Do you think that I'm...too short?"

The brief moment of silence was broken when Sokka laughed. "_That's _your problem?"

The airbender nodded tentatively, his eyes glittering with some mix of shame and helplessness.

"Stand up," the water tribesman stood, motioning for his friend to do the same. He noted with a bemused flicker of a smile that he himself boasted nearly a head over the Avatar. Sizing up the airbender, Sokka circled the younger teen with a mock serious expression on his face.

Aang clasped his hands expectantly. "Well?" he prompted eagerly.

Sokka straightened, stroking his stubbly chin thoughtfully. Then, the warrior presented his answer in the form of a question, glancing up at the airbender with eyes that were mildly perplexed. "When you say 'short,' who are you comparing yourself to?"

Clearly caught off guard by the unexpected reply, Aang blinked embarrassingly, fidgeting under the water tribesman's steady blue gaze. "Oh, uh...well, no one in particular...actually."

Sokka's eyebrow rose, but Aang was too preoccupied by his own nervous thoughts to catch the knowing glint in the warrior's ice-blue eyes.

"Oh really?" Sokka continued in a tone that spoke boldly, "Because there's a certain person I know who's a bit taller than you—barely, but apparently enough so that it evokes your interest."

Aang, deciding quickly to play the naïve card, looked up at his older friend with an innocent curiosity. "Who?"

Sokka blinked slyly, his eyes narrowing. "I think you _know, _buddy. And I just have _one_ thing to say about it!"

Aang cringed visibly, shrinking back from the warrior's advance.

Sokka stepped back, and in one fluid movement, scooped up the scroll-map and retreated, speaking over his shoulder as he went.

"She won't think twice about your height, Aang. She loves you for _you_, not your _stuff. _Remember that when you have to crane your head up to kiss her!"

With that, Sokka disappeared into the archway leading out of the courtyard, leaving a very flustered, pink-faced airbender groveling speechlessly in his dust.

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**A/N: **Welp, that's all for now, folks! Peace...Love...Reviews...Ice Cream...all that good stuff!


	2. Rice Cakes

**A/N: **Well, here it is. The very first request. Finished. I went over the limit, (which was to be expected), but only by a bit. I'll start here and work my way smaller. I wanted to keep these as close to canon as possible, I personally dislike AUs, so I used 'rice cakes' instead of actual cake. I hope you all enjoy this!

**Prompt Uno: **Three words…Tokka. Cake. Zuko.

**Requester:**** Peace.Joy.Love – **Thanks!

**Words: **815 –darn, so close!

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"Ugh."

Toph sat up; sticking her tongue out with poorly concealed disgust and shoved the cloak she had used as a blanket down to her feet.

This was the eighteenth night in a row.

She was going to _kill _those two.

Was it too much to ask to just _sleep _when it was dark and _eat _when it was light?

But no! They had to go scarfing down all the rice cakes in the palace kitchens in the wee hours of the night, stuffing their faces like two schoolchildren.

Sokka, she could understand _him _licking every dish in the palace clean.

But Zuko? He was the _Fire Lord_ now! It was hardly a dignified thing for the leader of a country to do, as she had made sure to let him know. Sokka had firmly defended the firebender, however, when Toph had finally confronted the duo.

"Hey, Zuko spends ninety-nine percent of the day governing a country and dealing with the boredom and mind-melting of politics. He deserves to splurge a little, don't you think?"

Toph had only inclined her head grudgingly with a snort of discontent, and left the matter as it was.

But it was getting _old_.

The vibrations of their movement struck her despite the three bedchambers, one ground-floor bathing room, and several solid walls that separated her and Katara's shared room from the kitchen. She didn't just _feel_ it, however, it was as frazzling to her nerve endings as if someone was shouting down her ears, and it was _impossible _to sleep.

Resignedly, Toph slipped her tunic and pants on over her underclothes and left the room, careful not to wake the sleeping waterbender on the bed across the room. Katara would just demand she leave them alone. Not that Toph would actually follow her orders, but she could do without the argument at two in the morning.

The little earthbender strode down the corridor, well aware that her undone hair was probably in disarray and her clothing wrinkled and still dirty. She didn't care in the least.

She met only one servant on the way, who she brushed past without a word, leaving the man staring speechlessly after her.

Arriving at the kitchen doors, Toph shoved them open bodily, not breaking stride. They swung inward with a protesting squeal, revealing the two teen boys, lounging at a small wooden table, which was loaded up high with plates of rice cakes.

Seeing her, the two boys' faces morphed into two polar opposite expressions.

A rice cake was halfway to Zuko's mouth, and he quickly put it back, flushing like he'd been caught with his hand in the cookie jar, frowning with embarrassment.

Sokka, on the other hand, caught sight of the earthbender and beamed, lifting a sticky hand to wave her over.

"Hey, Toph! You come to join us? There's plenty!"

The earthbender crossed her arms and glared coldly.

Zuko caught on immediately. He nudged the warrior discreetly in warning.

"You know," the firebender began with a largely over exaggerated yawn, "I'm kinda tired, I think I'll head to bed." He gave a great show of stretching his arms above his head as he darted from his chair and all but fled the premises.

Leaving Toph and Sokka faced with a stare down.

But the warrior was preoccupied with wondering over the Fire Lord's hasty leave. "What's _his _issue?"

Toph didn't even try to suppress the sigh of annoyance that escaped her lips.

Sokka glanced up at her. "What's _your _issue?"

The earthbender reached up to massage her temples. "_You _are my issue." She stepped forward, jerking a thumb over her shoulder. "You and Hothead back there. I haven't gotten any sleep the past several nights thanks to you two." She paused briefly. "How can I put this lightly…?"

Sokka leaned forward slightly to listen, and got the shock of his life when Toph leaned forward and screamed into his ear.

"JUST _GO TO BED!_"

Reeling backward, the warrior clutched the side of his head, blinking in surprise as he was deafened. Toph didn't pause to let him recover. Lunging forward, she grabbed at his head, catching his wolf-tail in a steel-like grip and dragging him from his chair and out of the kitchen, leaving the tables and chairs clinking behind them.

She yanked him down the hallway by his short ponytail, amid pleading protests and yelps of pain from the warrior, who was forced to stumble down the corridor with his face inches from his knees. Once or twice, his nose cracked painfully against them as he scrambled to keep his feet underneath him.

Arriving at his bedchamber, Toph shoved the door open and pushed him unceremoniously inside, where he face-planted on the floor, completely bewildered. The earthbender slammed the door behind him without another word.

For the remainder of that night, Toph slept sounder than she had in weeks.

**A/N:** Thanks again to **Peace.Joy.Love! **I hope this was fit to your standards! And remember...R&R&R!


	3. Hallucinations

**A/N:** Yay! I finished this one today! Unfortunately, I actually went five words more than _last _time…I hope you all forgive me. This one's sort of crack, because it was just the first thing that popped into my head, but I worked for a significant amount of time on it, and I hope it's sufficient! Thanks again to Domestic Servant for the inspiration _and _the prompt!

**Prompt Dos: **Sokka; deprived

**Requester: Domestic Servant**-- :D

**Words: **820

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"No! Are you kidding me? You've _GOT _to be kidding me!"

Katara shook her head disapprovingly. "Sokka, would I lie to you?"

"Well…"

The waterbender cut him off. "Don't answer that. But I'm telling you, I'm not lying now. We're stranded on this island, and we have no food."

Her brother dropped to his knees in the sand, inhaling sharply in what sounded like a hybrid of a sob and a snort of annoyance. "But…you're a _waterbender, _Katara! You ought to be able to find me at least _something _to eat!"

His sister rolled her eyes, placing her hands on her hips. "Me being a waterbender has _nothing _to do with my ability to forage. This is a _desert _island. There's nothing here but sand and a few trees. Anyway, we've only been here for an hour. If you're so hungry, why don't you help me figure a way out of this?"

Sokka allowed himself to fall face-first into the sand, groaning. His voice was muffled when he responded despairingly "I'm tooooooo _hungry_. Just leave me alone to die…"

Katara crossed her arms, her eyebrow twitching with irritation. "Sokka, we ate lunch three hours ago. Stop being melodramatic and help me figure out a plan. You _are _the plan guy, after all."

Sokka lifted his head from the sand and held his index finger up matter-of-factly. "Toph and Aang aren't here, and I was never the plan guy before we met them, so technically, I'm not the plan guy right now."

Angrily, Katara hoisted her brother up by the collar, dragging him to his feet. "There was nothing to plan _for _before we found Aang. But _now _there is! So get thinking!" She tapped the side of his head with a fist and spun on her heel, stalking off in the opposite direction. "I'm going to scout the perimeter of the island, see if I can find any fresh water. Keep an eye on the sky while I'm gone, Aang said he'd follow the Earth Kingdom ship with Toph and Appa. If he saw it sink, he'll be here. Even if they don't, when I come back, you _better_ have thought of something."

As soon as his sister disappeared from sight, Sokka fell onto his back in the sand, squinting against the harsh midday sun. He smacked his lips, which were only slightly parched, and closed his eyes. "Sooooo hungry…" he moaned. "Need meat…"

_Sokka…_

The warrior sat up, glancing around. A few meters away, a light breeze picked up some sand and tossed it into a swirl before settling down again. No one was there. He collapsed back with a yawn, resting his head on his hands.

_Sokka…_

The water tribesman sat up again, twisting around to look up the beach. "Katara, is that you…?"

_Sokka… _

The wind picked up, ruffling his wolf-tail and tossing more sand into his face.

_Sokka…_

Rubbing his eyes, the warrior sneezed. "_Not _funny, Katara!" His stomach complained loudly, and he glanced down at it. "Shh, be quiet! I know you're hungry, but hold on a sec!" Sokka quieted himself, and strained to listen.

Suddenly, someone spoke right into his ear. _Sokka!_

The warrior jumped, startled, and spun around, already crouched in ready position. "Aha!" he cried out, pointing. Crouched on the sand was a small brown-furred animal, with two round little horns budding from its head, and a stub of a tail that twitched back and forth incessantly.

Recognizing it, Sokka took a reeling step back, as if he'd been struck. He pointed accusingly at the creature. "Hey! How'd _you_ get here?!" From the sheath over his shoulder, Sokka drew his machete, holding it threateningly in front of him. "Don't come any closer, meat creature, or you won't have your mommy to protect you anymore!"

The moose-lion cub bounced a step closer, his entire back end twitching with excitement.

"Katara…!" Sokka called out nervously, hoping without hope that his sister was within earshot. The animal hopped forward a few more paces, but Sokka held his ground, shaking his machete warningly. The warrior's stomach rumbled and he snarled at it to hush.

Fufucuddlypoops gave an adorably cute squeak, crouching playfully. Sokka's upper lip lifted slightly, but his stomach did the growling for him. "Uh-uh," the warrior shook his machete again. "I'm _not _falling for that this time!"

His stomach begged to differ.

"Oh, what the heck," Sokka felt he had waited long enough, and threw caution to the winds. He stuck his tongue out the side of his mouth and lunged forward, swiping at the animal who dared taunt him.

Fufucuddlypoop's image dissolved, and Sokka's machete swiped air, and he face-planted—_again_--in the dust. Rising with a muttered curse, Sokka blinked sand out of his eyes. Looking furiously around to see where the cub had disappeared to, the warrior's stomach mumbled disapprovingly. Sokka rubbed his temples and huffed.

"Oh, shut up," he snapped.

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**A/N:** R&R&R!


	4. Mirror

**A/N: **I am throwing caution and restraint to the winds. This word-limit has annoyed me, and I already have a unanimous poll saying I should change it…so I am! I hope you guys enjoy this one, and apologies for the late update, I've been so darn busy…Halloween weekend, you know. And I _should _be doing homework now, so as soon as I'm finished here I will go and work on it. So…here we go. I've added a bit of Kataang...entirely unnecessary, I know, but I had a hard time (as difficult as that is to believe, I mean, come on...Zuko and Sokka) thinking of a goot one-shot for the request, so I just started somewhere.

**Prompt: **Zuko and Sokka; conceit.

**Requester:**** Domestic Servant—**again, gracias!

**Words:**1,363--Longest one yet, and apparently I'm not stopping here!

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Aang awoke late in the morning, a pleasant and fuzzy feeling slowly growing in his stomach. He, Toph, Sokka, and Suki had just yesterday joined back up with Katara and Zuko at the Fire Nation capital, almost two weeks since he'd defeated Ozai. Needless to say, it hadn't been a tearless ordeal. But it had left the Avatar feeling more joyous and relieved than he'd _ever _felt before...and that was saying something.

And he'd taken the well-deserved leisure to sleep in. _Late. _

The angle of the sunlight coming through the window told Aang that it was nearly noon. He leapt upward with a jolt of sudden panic.

Colliding solidly with the beside table, he tripped and fell flat on his face with a heavy _thud_.

The sound of a creaky door swinging inward caused him to lift his face--only to meet a very familiar pair of shoes.

"Eh," his ears grew bright red with mortification. "Hi, Katara."

The waterbender stifled a giggle. "Good Morning, Aang. Are you all right?" She offered her hand to help him up, and he took it with a sheepish smile as she pulled him to his feet.

"I'm okay," he began hesitantly, color flaring into his cheeks as he rubbed the back of his neck with embarrassment, "But I kinda forgot where I was...for a second there."

"Do you remember now?" Katara asked with honest curiosity.

Aang nodded the affirmative eagerly. "Uh-huh. I didn't know I slept so late."

"You've been asleep longer before," the waterbender replied with a knowing smile and went on, "But don't feel bad. Suki and I only woke up an hour ago, and Toph's still out."

Aang matched her smile as she took his arm gently and led him out of the chamber and into the hallway. The door swung shut with a soft _click _behind them.

"And Sokka?" the airbender prompted when she released his arm as he joined her willingly as she set off down the corridor.

Katara's expression morphed from a thoughtful look into a wry grin. "Actually, he's down in the dining hall with Zuko. Eat and Sleep. It's practically all he lives for."

Aang shared a chuckle with her.

They came to a fork in the hallway, one leading to a staircase that ascended to the palace's second floor, and the other turning sharply to arch toward the royal kitchens. When Aang made as to move down the corridor that led to the dining hall, Katara paused with a lazy wave.

"I'll go to see if I can get Toph up, and we'll meet you for breakfast, okay?"

"Oh," Aang acknowledged, failing to hide his disappointment, but nodding anyway. "Okay then. I'll see you." He lifted a hand in farewell, and the waterbender blinked warmly and smiled at him before turning to stride down the other hall.

Aang headed to the dining hall at a trot, having it in his mind to catch Zuko and Sokka before they licked the kitchens clean. He bumped into only a few servants, whom he nodded to politely as they stopped to bow in respect when he passed. The airbender shifted uncomfortably. He'd never get used to being treated like royalty. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he almost missed the good old days when everyone in the world was trying to capture and kill him. But not that much.

Upon reaching the hall, he pushed the doors open and slid through.

To his relief, only Sokka and Zuko were there. The Fire Prince--soon to be crowned Fire Lord--sat at one of the many chairs on the far side of the long table, an empty plate before him. Sokka stood opposite of him, doing...something.

The warrior's chin was lifted arrogantly high, his back straight, and his chest puffed out to an almost ridiculous degree, and the warrior strode in place, albeit quite comically. His back was to Aang.

Covering his mouth stifle his laughter, Aang caught Zuko's eye. The firebender made a motion to wave him over, but Aang cut him short with a frantic gesture, and, after pursuing his lips, Zuko gave a subtle nod of understanding.

"See?" Sokka opened his eyes and addressed Zuko a moment later, ceasing his ridiculous display. "You've got to…" he searched for the word, "…_strut. _Like you're higher than everyone and you're completely in control of every_thing._" The warrior gestured widely with his arm, punctuating his point.

Unbeknownst to Sokka, Aang had positioned himself at a safe distance behind and slightly to the left of the warrior, comically imitating his movements.

"…you know what I mean? Act like…" Sokka snapped his fingers as an idea struck him, and behind him, silently and while pulling the most ridiculous of faces, Aang did the same. "…like royalty! Well…I guess you _are _royalty…but you need to be more priggish, like the rich and snobby types."

With extreme effort and only the most perfected self-discipline, Zuko managed to keep a straight face as Aang copied Sokka's hilarious expressions with an uncanny sense of accuracy, considering the warrior's back was to him. The Fire Prince even went so far as snuffing his laughter well enough to respond verbally to Sokka's earlier statement.

"But…I'm just _not_ the standoffish person that you're trying to get me to be, Sokka."

The warrior's brow furrowed thoughtfully, and he tapped an index finger to his chin. Behind him, Aang performed an exaggerated form of the gesture.

"Well," the water tribesman went on, "You always were the best at the angry-boy façade…let's try that…"

As he continued to ramble on, Aang crossed his eyes and flapped his lips in a manner that suggested he thought Sokka was too talkative, waving his arms in the air.

This proved to be too much for Zuko. His handle broke, and he collapsed into a helpless fit of laughter.

Aang, knowing his cover was blown, stopped immediately, clasping his hands formally behind his back and grinning broadly.

Sokka, momentarily bewildered at Zuko's sudden tide and its apparent relation to the plan he was formulating out loud, murmured quietly to himself, slowly turning around with a befuddled expression. Upon doing an about-turn, he caught sight of Aang's smiling face, and his eyes instantly narrowed, his gaze flitting back and forth between his two friends.

"All right, who's the jokester?"

The warrior turned to glare at Aang, who immediately assumed an innocent expression, blinking.

Zuko had managed to stifle his chuckles, and was now sitting silently with a hand over his mouth, his eyes flaring merrily with a glimmer of sunlight that streamed in from the large windows that lined the walls of the dining hall.

Sokka, not amused, crossed his arms and transferred his glittering blue gaze to Zuko, glowering. "What's so funny?" he demanded, his voice squealing up a few octaves, as it often did when he was irritated.

Behind his back, Aang desperately held back a snicker, and Sokka turned his attention back on the airbender.

Just then, the large door to the dining hall swung open once more, and the three girls of the group, Toph, Suki, and Katara, who brought up the rear, entered, halting slightly behind Aang upon seeing (or in Toph's case, feeling) what was transpiring between the three boys that faced each other in a rough triangle formation.

Katara, her suspicious gaze settling immediately on her brother, placed her hands on her hips and stared at him. "What's going on here?" she demanded levelly, her voice booming through the nearly-empty chamber and echoing along the far wall.

Sokka, exasperated that he would be blamed for what had gone on without his knowing, threw his arms in the air and let out an angry huff. "I _don't _know! You tell me!" That said, he stalked out of the room, brushing Toph and Suki aside as he marched past them, allowing the door to slam shut behind him.

Katara turned her gaze on Aang and Zuko, who blinked innocently at her. She crossed her arms and began casually, "So, what have _you_ two been doing this morning?"

"Oh, you know."

"Just stuff."

They spoke simultaneously.

The waterbender's eyebrow arched. "Just _stuff, _huh?"


	5. Flaming Reeds

**Prompt: **Ozai; turtleducks; revenge

**Requester: **Elvenstar Imrahil (You. Are. AWESOME! :D)

**Words: **620 (Why is it that only _after _I remove the limit that I can write a good one-shot _under _the limit? The world is insane!)

**Note: **At this time, Iroh is 17, Ozai is 9 (I didn't know how much of an age gap there was…so I guessed. In the series, Ozai seems pretty young compared with Iroh…I dunno.

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"_Ow! _Mom!"

I had been sitting under the maple tree in the palace gardens, with a history text scroll laid out before me. Tapping the charcoal marking pen against my temple, I was laboring over one of the questions with a cup of jasmine tea cradled in my free hand, when Ozai's shout rang in my ears. Scowling, I lifted my gaze to meet my little brother, who was currently preoccupied by the angry mother turtle-duck attached by her webbed claws in his dark brown, tousled hair, beating her wings and pecking him viciously.

I made no move to his aid, but cupped my hands around my mouth and shouted, "I _told _you not to poke that stick in her nest!"

"Egh!" Ozai screeched, ripping the turtle-duck from his head and throwing it to the ground, where it lay with a flurry of stunned _quacks _before wriggling to her feet and scuttling back to the water. "I'll show _you!_" Ozai hissed, setting fire to the reeds that sheltered the turtle-duck's eggs.

My work forgotten, I was on my feet in an instant. The next instant, I was sprinting around the pond. "Put it _out_, Ozai!" I ordered, waving my arms frantically.

The little rat only stuck his tongue in my direction and countered, "_Make _me, you tea-loving imbecile!"

Welling panic caused my ears to turn pink as they flared with blood, and my gaze turned from my destructive little brother to the crackling red glow of the flames. I heard a terrified, squawking cry from the mother turtle-duck, and a hiss as the fire was fueled by the reeds, licking the air with cruel orange fingertips.

Glancing back at Ozai, I knew he wasn't going to be of any help--he had a disturbing grin on his face that could almost be categorized as _evil._

I closed my eyes and fought down my panic--trying hard to remember the firebending form I had learned just yesterday. Being a foolish teenager, I hadn't thought to memorize it, because, after all, when would I ever need to _quench _a fire?

Well, today was one of those days. Gasping, I opened my eyes to see that the flames had stretched even higherand had engulfed much of the reeds already. The turtle-duck's cries were little more than coughing quacks. I had to move quickly.

Lifting my arms over my head, I inhaled deeply, and to my horror, the flames flares even higher. But I didn't stop. Bringing my arms down abruptly, palms facing down, I exhaled completely, my lungs devoid of all air and closing my eyes.

A squeal of outrage erupted from Ozai, and I knew what was to come. Without even opening my eyes, I blocked his fiery attack with a precise movement of my arms, and retaliated not with my own bending but by darting forward to grip his arm. Twisting him around, I grabbed his other arm and forced him to the ground, where he lay with a grunt of anger, his face buried in the grass.

"_Don't _do that again."

"You beetle-nosed thick-skull, you spoiled my fun!"

"I did nothing of the sort," I snarled back, "That turtle-duck was defending itself and its nest when it attacked you. Both times, however, you were provoking it for your own benefit. If mother were here..."

Struggling against my hold, Ozai hissed, "Mother's _dead. _And you will someday join her in becoming carrion for those Earth Kingdom cannibals!"

"The Earth Kingdom is not filled with cannibals. They are only people who we must share our wealth and prosperity with."

"Bah!" Ozai clenched his teeth. "You are a fool. A dithering _fool_."

"I'll remember that when I succeed Father as Fire Lord."

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**A/N****: **And you all know what happens next...the revenge part! Although you _can _find other, smaller instances of revenge within the one-shot, if you peer close enough. And...about Iroh and Ozai's mother, well, I don't recall ever hearing her mentioned in the series, so I just assumed she might've died…maybe in childbirth. Wouldn't be far fetched…after all, it's _Ozai _we're talking about. That may also account for some of his insanity…a little part…anyway. And, yes, the last bit contained irony...kudos to anyone who caught it! Thanks for reading, all of you!


	6. Appearances are Deceiving

**Prompt: **Zuko and Sokka; manly underwear

**Words: **987

**Requester: **Lucrezia6565 (Thank you! :D)

* * *

**Appearances are Deceiving**

"Sokka!"

Bursting into her brother's bed chamber, Katara shoved the heavy oaken door open, every nerve in her body sizzling with excitement that she longed to share. Her blue silken dress swished around her ankles and her fur-lined boots seemed to barely touch floor as she rushed into the room, and her cheeks were flushed, as if the indoor temperature was far too warm for her liking. Contrasting sharply against her ruddy cheeks were her sparkling ice-blue ice eyes, overflowing with an emotion that was swamped with another one...one much more powerful than the first.

"Sokka! You'll never believe it! Aang just..."

The words budding on her lips died suddenly as her gaze met the scene before her. Skidding abruptly to a halt, she blinked in speechless bewilderment, staring open-mouthed.

Sokka was indeed there--his back to her, striking some pose that he probably thought made him look impressive. As usual, however, it _didn't _do anything to improve his appearance. This time, Katara decided, was probably the most inadequate she had _ever _seen him--and _that _was saying something.

Scanning the rest of the room, the waterbender soon discovered, to her embarrassment, that Zuko was there, too. The Fire Lord sat on the bed, facing toward the door.

When the Fire Lord caught Katara's shocked eyes, she could've sworn his entire body blushed a dark red.

And this was a fairly easy thing to tell, considering both boys wore nothing but their underpants.

Sokka, upon hearing Katara's exclamation, spun around with a _how-dare-you-interrupt-me _disapproving expression plastered on his face.

The trio stared at each other for a long moment. Zuko slouched, looking as if he wanted to melt into the background. Blood flowed beneath the skin of his face, causing it to grow very close to the color of the red bedspread.

After close to a minute, Katara found her voice, and sputtered haltingly, "What...in the _world_...are you _doing?_"

Glancing over his shoulder at his withering friend, Sokka gestured vaguely toward his sister. "See, Zuko, this is _exactly _what I was talking about. You can't let yourself freeze up in embarrassing situations. Embracethe embarrassment! Laugh with them!_ Embrace_ your manliness! There is _nothing _wrong with guys being comfortable in their underwear." He directed this last comment toward his sister, who was trying to refrain from gaping with disbelief.

Still partially in shock, Katara absently observed that unlike her brother's pale sky blue undergarment, Zuko's briefs were a dark crimson color. In a detached way, she wondered why she had never known his underwear was that color. Shaking herself from the daze, she mentally answered herself with a blanch as a very unwelcome image thrust itself to the fore of her mind. She buried it...struggling to get her ears to work as her brother opened his mouth again to rattle out something to the uncomfortable firebender.

Zuko's cheeks were now redder than his scar, and still darkening. He fidgeted, wrapping his arms around his torso self-consciously, looking like he was ready to pass out. All the while, Sokka looked on, his hands on his hips as he evaluated Zuko's reactions as if he were an instructor grading an assessment, speaking aloud on occasion.

Katara laid a hand on the doorframe and took a couple staggering steps back as her senses came back to her in a wave. An amused smirk played around the corners of her mouth, even as she blushed. "Well, don't let me interrupt your _man-fest,_" her voice was layered with more disgust than she had intended, but she didn't care to stay any longer than necessary, and she promptly left, the door sweeping across the carpet and clicking shut behind her.

Thoroughly humiliated, Zuko dropped his head on to his knees, groaning.

"See, that wasn't so bad now, was it?"

Raising his head, Zuko glowered at the Water tribesman. "_Why _do I always let you talk me into these _stupid _ideas?"

Sokka flashed a lopsided smile. "It's a talent of mine, I guess. Either that, or it's a weakness of yours. Come on, admit it. My ideas are ingenious!"

Zuko rose from the bed, angrily grabbing his pants and tunic. "As soon as I get my clothes back on...I am going to _kill _you and make it look like an accident!"

"You'll have to catch me first!" Cackling, Sokka fled the room...without dressing first.

"No, you idiot, _wait!_" Zuko hissed exasperatingly as he hopped on one foot to pull his foot through the pant leg. A trillion anguished thoughts already swirled around in his mind.

_What will the delegates think? What kind of dignified image can I maintain with _him _as a friend? Great Agni...who will _Katara _tell? If Toph finds out...I'll be the laughingstock of the world for the rest of my _life!

Taking one glance at his tunic--with all its ties and fancy adornments [useless in a pinch, of course] he decided it was hopeless and tossed the heavy fabric over his shoulder. With a rustle of silks, it hit the edge of the bed and slid to the floor. Zuko took no notice. He was already out the door, pelting down the hallway after the Water Tribe warrior, who practically flew down the corridor, his loincloth fluttering out behind him.

Zuko heard a terrified shriek as he rounded a corner, hot on the warrior's heels. Ahead of him, Sokka barely managed to evade running smack into a female servant carrying a basket of clean laundry. Once past her, however, Sokka didn't break stride, streaking down the hallway and away.

Zuko, however, wasn't so lucky. Skidding, he collided with the servant girl, muttering hasty and fervent apologies even as he did. Scrambling, he stumbled over her basket and through the splayed clothes, which she dropped with a gasp. Gaining his footing once more, Zuko lengthened his stride in pursuit of the Water tribesman, yelling as he went, "_Sokka! _Have you no _modesty?_"

* * *

**A/N:** Wow...this was weird. Very much so. But I can't deny that it was enormously fun to write! Sorry it took so long to get up...I'm so busy lately, it's insane. And the fact that I'm increasing my work hours to keep my job doesn't help either...yikes. Oh well. Reviews=Cookies!!


	7. Down by the Riverbed

**A/N:** Wow…I think this is officially the shortest one-shot I've ever, EVER written. It could almost be characterized as a drabble-shot. Anyway, the idea for this came from a review left by Wolfdog-Aleu, but I am not counting this as a request, because it really has barely _anything _to do with the actual request, it was just a weird branch-off that came from it.

**Prompt: **None. (You will find out…if you read…muahahaha!)

**Requester: **Wolfdog-Aleu (don't worry, I will do your actual request, but I can't discount the fact that you helped me come up with the idea for this one!)

**Words: **220 (OMM!! Honestly unbelievable!)

* * *

"_Oh, the boy went down to the riverbed, _

_To see what he could find._

_Some fish to get his mother fed,_

_Or make-up some lazy rhyme._

_Oh, the man went down to the riverbed,_

_To see what he could find._

_Some eggs to get his stomach fed,_

_Or make-up some lazy rhyme._

_Oh, the girl went down to the riverbed,_

_To see what she could find._

_Do just what her mother said,_

_And sing some lazy rhyme._

_Oh, the lady went down to the riverbed,_

_To see what she could find,_

_Do just what her husband said,_

_And sing some lazy rhyme._

_Oh, the fish swam up the riverbed,_

_To see what they could find._

_Saw some bread crumbs up ahead,_

_And next they know they're fried!"_

Sokka finished with a flourish of his hand, panting slightly. "So? What do ya think? Wasn't it great!?"

Aang, Toph, and Katara, sat across the campfire from a proudly grinning Sokka, gaping at him, their mouths hanging shamelessly open. Aang, his eyes glazed, exchanged a bewildered glance with Katara.

"Sure, Snoozles," Toph laughed, breaking the silence, "It'll be a number-one hit song all right…"

Sokka almost looked surprised. "Hey, thanks, Toph! You know, I really felt…"

"Yeah," the earthbender interrupted sarcastically, "It _will_ be a hit song…the day hogmonkeys take over the world!"


	8. War & Peace

**A/N: **I have to say: This was _extremely _fun to write. Its not really in the 'hilarious' category, but its got its little moments. :D

**Prompt: **The Gaang goofing off at a peace meeting

**Requester: CyclonePhsycho—**(Thanks so much!)

**Words: **1,094

* * *

"Uhh!" Aang groaned pitifully, collapsing on to a stone bench in the courtyard of Ba Sing Se's palace. Frustration, irritation, and exhaustion gleamed in his glazed gray eyes and radiated from him as he buried his head in his hands. As if in response to his unspoken lament, the breeze ruffled through the smartly tended garden bushes, and they rustled harshly against one another.

Following not far behind, Aang's four companions filed into the courtyard through the lavishly decorated archway, all looking pale and drained. Each step was an effort...a battle between energy (or lack thereof) and will. Their faces were drawn and their eyes dull as each assumed a position in the quaint little oasis that had become something of a release for them over the weeks that had been heavy with the intense debate and complex politics of the world's four nations.

Sokka dragged his feet melodramatically in an exaggeration of the exhaustion everyone felt as he crossed the yard and plopped down on the bench beside Aang. The warrior dug a pinkie finger nonchalantly in his left ear, making annoyed faces as he complained:

"Who knew these stupid meetings could be _so _dang boring?"

His response was met with a chorus of moans.

"_Please, _Snoozles," Toph drawled, falling flat on her back in the middle of the walkway with a muffled earthen _thud_, "Don't even _talk _to me about boring! I _wish _I only had the luxury of being bored! Nearly every one of those creepy old guys are expert liars..." she shuddered, "Took me a good while to figure them out—try, like two weeks—and even _then, _there was no possible way for me to catch them _all _in the act at once...ugh."

Katara sat down on a bench across the isle from her brother and Aang, massaging her temples with her index fingers. Glancing down dejectedly at the sprawled Toph, she sighed and complained, "I have the most _massive_ headache..."

Zuko, arriving beside her and not bothering to watch where he was sitting, slipped straight from his feet to the floor, halfway out of (or into...exactly which was uncertain) a daze.

Whistling through the spindly branches of a newly planted maple sapling, the wind prompted someone to end the tired silence that had laid itself over the group of teens. After a few moments of this short-lived, peaceful quietness, Zuko blinked, covering his ears with cupped hands. He removed them after a moment, and a flash of confusion crossed his face. His gaze swept over each of his friends' momentarily, halting finally on Katara sitting to his right. She looked back at him with a raised eyebrow, and he explained, "Is it just me, or are your ears ringing too?"

She grimaced and wordlessly nodded the affirmative.

"This is _impossible,_" Aang sat up, his voice raising to an uncharacteristic high-pitched whine, "We've been at this for _three weeks, _and already it's falling apart. We're not resolving _anything! _How am I supposed to do my job if no one will agree to compromise?"

"Compromise weakens a government, Aang," Zuko replied wistfully, managing to state a solemn fact rather than actually defend a personal political position. The firebender tugged on his earlobe with a pained expression. It was clear that his hearing hadn't settled down to a normal tone or volume quite yet.

"And these so-called 'nobles' know the fact too well," Toph commented with annoyance from her spot on the ground.

"Compromise teaches people to work _together _for a common good," Aang countered with conviction, curling his hands into fists, "_Everyone _has to sacrifice in order to get the benefits!"

"That's just it," Katara elaborated for him, "If a delegate decides their losses outweigh the overall benefits, they aren't going to agree with it."

"But--"

"Aang," she went on, "There may be losses they are considering that we haven't thought of yet. We need to learn as much as we can and gather everyone's perspective on a certain subject before we can judge them each correctly."

Settling back with a stubborn frown, Aang sighed huffily. "I _know._"

"No one said it was going to easy," Toph waved a hand consolingly toward the airbender, "You made Ozai eat your dust, and you can do the same to those gas-baskets!"

"Ha," Sokka laughed suddenly, blinking, "_Gas_-baskets."

Everyone turned to glare.

"Just trying to lighten the mood, geez, people," the warrior protested, wrinkling his nose and holding up his hands, palms forward. "You could humor me, at _least_."

Silence.

A distant bird twittered in its nest.

"Fine, be that way, you fun-suckers," Sokka slumped into a sulky slouch a moment later, and quiet fell over the group once more as the wind picked up. In the plant beds, fragile purple blossoms bobbed up and down on the breeze, and the short, cropped grass shivered as it passed.

Katara's shoulders shuddered in a sigh that seemed to make the air before her vibrate, and Zuko followed up with an obnoxiously loud, open-mouthed yawn that was utterly inappropriate for a dignitary of his status.

Aang, his foul mood evaporating in an instant, attempted to unsuccessfully stifle a giggle. Instead of quieting his softer, much more manageable laugh, as he had intended, his suddenly self-blocked airway caused him to hiccup loudly through his nose. More of a snort, really.

Covering her mouth to hide her laughter, Katara's face turned pink with the effort. Sokka, getting in on the game, elbowed Aang in the ribs, causing him to hiccup again--this time, rather loudly.

Toph, not one to be left out of the loop on any account, pressed her hand into the ground and sent a rumbling shiver toward Sokka and Aang.

The bench quivered slightly just before it jerked upwards abruptly, tossing the water tribesman into the bushes behind him, as Aang grappled for a solid hold on the tilted bench, his ringing laugh reverberating off the walls of the enclosed courtyard. Forgoing a decision to re-grip, the airbender slipped off the bench entirely, flopping onto his back in the dust with an audible _oof_.

There was a brief pause before the stillness of the air evaporated beneath the pealing laughter of the five—four teens. Sokka's noises of protest filled the background as he untangled himself from the prickly rosebush he had so unluckily landed in.

"Ouch! _Ow! _Ow ow ow ow OW!!" Hopping on one foot as he wrestled himself out of the bracken, managing to tear his breeches in the process, he cried,

"Bad thorns! You do _NOT _belong in _there!!_"

* * *

**A/N:** Thanks to all who reviewed the last chapter and gave me requests!


	9. Tea Talks

**A/N:** This the rewrite of by far the longest prompt I've written...and I tried to shorten it, I really did! But I just couldn't figure out how to cut out parts without compromising the story too much. It actually was over 3,000 words when it was originally written, and I got it down to a little less. Overall, I'm not sure entirely how well this oneshot turned out, so I was hoping for some good feedback and advice on this one, maybe along the lines of answering the question 'how the MONKEY do you people write such short, awesome fics!?' **Thanks to Mike for helping me out with the revision, and although it's not much shorter than it was, he helped me make it (I hope) less confusing. **

**Prompt:** Mai, Ty Lee, and Tea

**Requester: **Sable Cygnus (Thx! I really liked the idea, so many possibilities!)

**Words: **2,906 (Ouch...)

* * *

**Tea Talks**

Ripples of iridescent seawater parted to flow alongside the dull gray hull of the iron escort ship. Behind it, the same calm ripples collided to create a foamy, ruffled wake that stretched out behind it, until the disturbed water settled back out, softly curling over top of each other as they went on their way, as if nothing had disturbed them to begin with. Steam from the ship's smokestack puffed into the air, billowing with protest as it was left behind as the ship moved forward, drifting upward and finally dissipating into the clear blue sky.

From the rail of the ship's helm tower hung a crimson flag with a golden flame, dancing in the cool ocean wind. The unmistakable mark of Fire Nation royalty.

Less than three leagues away, on the slope of Kyoshi Island's mountain, an expertly hidden, wooden watchtower stood amidst a grove of trees in full summer bloom. Suki, dressed in her full warrior regalia, lowered the looking glass she'd been using to study the ship from afar. Turning with a smile to the expectant girl beside her, she nodded the affirmative.

"It's her. Judging by their position, it shouldn't be long until they arrive. A couple hours, maximum."

Her similarly-clad friend gave a squeal of excitement and clasped her gloved hands. Her brown eyes were glowing. "Oh," Ty Lee sighed, the air around her quivering with emotion, "This is _so _great! I haven't seen Mai in _forever! _It'll be wonderful to talk with her again!"

Suki smiled at her friend's enthusiasm, and handed Ty Lee the looking glass. "Keep an eye on that ship, then. Alert me at once when it enters the bay."

Bobbing her head respectfully, Ty Lee turned back toward the sea as Suki flipped open the wooden hatch and sat, preparing herself to descend from the watch tower. "Oh," she added, almost as an afterthought, looking back up at her friend and fellow warrior, "If you want to…you can change back into your old clothes, if you think Lady Mai will be more comfortable."

Ty Lee scoffed. "Don't be silly!" she exclaimed, "I may be a Kyoshi Warrior now, but I am still Ty Lee! Mai will understand that." Extending the looking glass once more, Ty Lee focused it on the incoming ship that brought her old friend steadily toward Kyoshi Island.

When the ship docked, Ty Lee and Suki were already at the water's edge, flanked by the rest of the Kyoshi Warriors. The hull of the enormous ship scraped against the sandy bottom as it grounded itself. With a _hiss _of steam and the _clank, clank _of metal gears working, the decorated bowsprit of the ship lowered itself, collapsing onto the sand with a _shish._

"Mai!"

Ty Lee bounced up the gangplank and enveloped her friend in a massive bear-hug, so quickly that the escort guards on either side of Mai hadn't even had the time to react before the green cloth flashed before their eyes and sent their Lady staggering backwards.

Ty Lee pulled out of the fierce embrace and held her friend at arm's length, smiling broadly behind her red and white make-up. They held each other's gazes for the longest moment, long enough that the guards were able to identify and discount the threat to their charge, and regain their composure.

At long last, the corners of Mai's lips twitched upward in her characteristic, thin-lipped smile. But something about her carefully-trained expression was different. There was joy…yes, gray-aura Mai actually had _joy _in her eyes! Seeing her friend like this—so unlike the emotionless Mai she had known for so long—warmed Ty Lee to the core.

With a grin, she took her friend by the hand and led her down the gangplank and straight into the waiting group of girls on the sand, where the newcomer was met with warm hospitality.

**

The days blew by with the summer wind. When the week had come to a close, Mai sat back in a wicker chair softened with cushions and sighed, feeling sadness well up in her heart. She had enjoyed spending time with Ty Lee and her new friends, and she was disappointed that the week was over, and eager for the next to come. She almost wished she could stay longer than the month that had been allotted to her.

But Zuko needed her back at home, as much for emotional support as for the advantageous position of nobility she held—to say nothing, of course, about her ability to smoothly handle a roomful of uptight and ambitious members of the Royal Court. Smiling fondly, Mai remembered the night she had left, when Zuko had come to her room when she was packing.

"_Hey."_

_Mai looked up. He stood in the open doorway, his arms crossed. He had shed his heavy royal robes in favor of his old gold-trimmed vest and breeches, and had let his hair down, out of the intimidating topknot. In the dim light his amber eyes gleamed dully like brass, a tribute to another long, stressful day ruling a militaristic-turned-economic country. His features were slack, his expression open and tired from weeks of carefully keeping his real feelings hidden. Exhaustion radiated from him like heat from the sun. After weeks of treaty dealings with delegates from the other nations, Mai knew he was sick and tired of the stuck-up nobles' in the court. _

"_Hey," she replied, buttoning closed a small traveling knapsack that lay on her bed._

_When he said nothing in immediate response, she turned to pull her light cloak off of its hook on the wall. Hesitating, she folded the cloak over her arm instead of securing it around her shoulders. It was a warm night; there was no need to overdress. _

_Reaching up to rub the back of his neck nervously, Zuko met her steady gaze. _

"_I'll be leaving soon," she stated simply, shifting her weight to lift the bag off of her bed._

"_I know," Zuko replied, his voice tight and awkward._

_Silence spread out before them once more, lengthening as the minutes ticked by._

"_Did—" Mai began, pausing to swallow carefully around the lump in her throat, "Did you need something?"_

"_No," he answered hurriedly, "Just…came to say good bye."_

"_It's _not _good bye," she countered adamantly, the sudden unexpected passion in her voice startling the Fire Lord. He blinked, looking at her, asking for an explanation. She elaborated obligingly. "Good bye is what people say when they expect to never see each other again. I will see you soon."_

_Lifting the bag to sling it over her shoulder, Mai lifted her chin, leveling her gaze expectantly at Zuko, monitoring his expression._

_His lips twitched upward, and he showed his teeth in a rare grin, pleased. "Good then. See you soon, Mai."_

_She smiled._

"Thinking of him?"

Mai jumped, startled out of her reverie by the sudden materialization of her now brown-clad friend.

"Ty Lee!" she gasped, clutching the arms of her chair, "Don't scare me like that!"

To her annoyance, Ty Lee only laughed. "You _were _thinking about him!" she clasped her hands together and batted her eyelashes teasingly. "So _enthralled_ in your flashbacks that you must be dragged out of them by force!"

"I'm not like that," Mai protested levelly, crossing her arms across her chest and sitting back disinterestedly. Suddenly, the scent of something sweet drifted past her, and her dark eyes flashed in recognition. "Peach and mint tea?"

Ty Lee beamed. "You're very favorite, of course." She lifted the tin tray that sat on the bedside table, bearing two mugs of the steaming drink. "The girls and I made it for you earlier."

Gratefully, Mai took a mug from the tray, sipping at the tea. The look of pure joy on Ty Lee's face made Mai smile. "You really like it here, don't you?"

Ty Lee nodded adamantly, and her braid swung back and forth excitedly. "Oh, yes! It's wonderful here. All of us are like sisters, but everyone is different…we all have something we contribute to the team that is all our own style." She gestured excitedly. "Can you believe, with all the athleticism they have, before I came, none of them could hold a handstand for longer than a minute!"

Suppressing a smirk, Mai pretended to be shocked. "No? But _everyone _could do a handstand for _ten _minutes back at the Fire Nation Academy."

"Ha ha," Ty Lee laughed, "I get your point." She paused, and the merry twinkle in her eyes grew thoughtful. "It just feels good to be part of a something so…unique, yet still I'm able to be myself. Sort of like the circus." Her eyes clouded with memories, but she brightened after a moment.

"But enough about me! What's going on with you?"

As if it was the most natural thing in the world, Ty Lee bent backwards off of her chair, placing her hands solidly on the wooden floor. Flipping lightly over, she sat on her knees, resting her elbows on the stool where she had sat, her chin in her hands, smiling broadly.

Mai blinked, setting her mug down on the side table. Seeing her friend's odd look, Ty Lee prompted, "Well?" When Mai said nothing, the acrobat wriggled into a more comfortable position, resting her head on her crossed arms. "Fine," Ty Lee went on, "If you don't know where to start, I have an easy one for you: how's Zuko doing?"

"He's…" Mai began, leveling her voice, "He's fine."

"Details, Mai! 'Fine' doesn't tell me anything! Try this: has he asked to marry you yet?"

"Ty Lee!" Mai exclaimed, genuinely shocked, mostly because she herself had never wanted to give the idea much thought.

"You know he's going to, eventually," the acrobat raised an eyebrow and waggled it knowingly.

"Ty Lee!" Mai repeated with disbelief, the closest to 'flabbergasted' as she had ever been in her life. "Who are you to pry into my personal life?"

"Personal life!" Ty Lee spat, indignant for the first time. "We grew up together! We've been friends since we were three years old! You have no 'personal life' that I'm not included in!"

Mai huffed angrily, getting to her feet. She was halfway to the door when Ty Lee stopped her, stepping in her way with the quickness and agility of a cat, a hand on her arm.

Pulling away, Mai glared at her friend.

Ty Lee stepped back, giving her friend some room. She shot Mai a meaningful look. "You love him, don't you." It wasn't a question.

"So what if I do?" Mai's voice was monotone, as dull and lifeless as ever, covering up the stinging hurt that throbbed within her heart.

"Oh, come on!" Ty Lee's voice was strained, but soft. "You've liked him since you were ten, and you defied Azula—committed _treason, _Mai—to save his life. You love him. Are you afraid he doesn't love you back?"

A flicker of pain flashed in her friend's eyes, gone in a heartbeat beneath a crumbling mask of indifference. But Ty Lee saw. "That's it, isn't it, Mai? You're afraid. Afraid to open up your emotions to someone who won't be there as a comfort. Afraid to trust someone who might double-cross you. Afraid to give your heart away to someone who doesn't want to give you theirs. Afraid to—"

"I _get _it, okay?!" Mai burst, angrily, but at the same time, so close to tears that the very proximity frightened Ty Lee back another step. She was so different from Lady Mai, the daughter of the governor of the city of New Ozai. What happened to the unemotional young woman that always put her status before her feelings? This Mai was something new—emotion running freely across her face, so unlike the indifferent, stiletto-throwing girl that Ty Lee had known for so long. Swallowing carefully around the growing lump in her throat, Mai leveled her gaze with Ty Lee's. "Maybe I am afraid. What does it matter?"

"Have you talked to him about it?"

"Why? What would that accomplish?"

"Well, for starters," Ty Lee responded with a hint of sarcasm in her voice, "You could find out that he feels _the same way!_"

Mai's eyes glinted, narrowing to mere slits. She stared coldly at Ty Lee, but the acrobat knew her friend. She was covering up her uncertainty with irritation, until she could sort things out on her own. Mai turned her back on her friend, stiffly walking across the room until she stood at the shuttered window.

Staring hard at the wooden blinds, Mai tried to suppress the bitter taste of fear tinged with in her mouth. "_If _he feels the same way," she spoke to the closed window, her dull tone layered with doubt.

"Mai!" Ty Lee spread her arms wide, compassion glowing in her honest face. "Mai," she repeated, moving forward and halting a mere step behind her friend, "I haven't seen Zuko since his coronation. But you know what?"

Turning only her head, Mai lifted her hollow gaze to look at her friend imploringly.

Ty Lee went on softly. "Running a country is hard. You know that, he knows that. Do you know what I know?"

With a sigh, Mai shrugged. "What?"

"I know," Ty Lee said, "That you are both using that as a distraction, to ignore any tension in your relationship."

Sniffing in mock disdain, Mai stepped back, collectedly sitting down on the wicker stool by the window and crossing her legs. "What are you, my therapist?" She smirked.

Ty Lee smiled. "There's the Mai I know." Her expression grew serious. "Tell me you'll talk to him. Promise me."

_The hollow sound of a knock on the heavy wooden door rang through the room. Zuko looked up from the scroll he'd been studying_…_Ten Tips to Being a Good Diplomat. It'd been a gift from his Minister of Commerce after his coronation, and he had to admit, it'd been helpful the past several months. _

_His concentration broken, Zuko rubbed his eyes, realizing that they ached from hours of looking over bills and propositions that needed his attention. Beside him sat a weakly wavering candle, the only light source in the room, and one that cast dark, dancing shadows along the walls._

_His gaze settled finally on the door at the other end of his study, and he gathered his composure and prepared himself for the arrival of another arrogant old noble from the Court. _

_Clearing his throat and sitting up straight, Zuko called out, "Come in!" _

_With a creak of protest, the knob turned, and the door swung open slowly._

_On the threshold stood the very person he'd been least expecting._

_Standing abruptly, Zuko knocked over his chair, stumbling over it and nearly causing himself to fall. Bracing with his palms flat on the desk, he gasped, "Mai!"_

_Lady Mai inclined her head in acknowledgement._

"I don't know, Ty Lee," Mai sighed. "He's got enough on his mind."

"That's exactly why you need to talk to him!" the acrobat exclaimed, gesturing wildly with her arms, "He needs to know he has your support, and that you have his."

_Zuko swallowed, trying and failing to hide his surprise at his girlfriend's premature return. "I thought you were going to be at Kyoshi for another week! Is everything all right with you and Ty Lee…?"_

"Oh, come _on, _Mai! You know I've got a point!"

Sighing, Mai hid a smile. "I know you have a point, Ty," she admitted grudgingly.

"_Thank_ you! Now give me your word."

"_Everything's fine," Mai spoke in her usual monotone, but a hint of smile colored her eyes. _

_Zuko wondered what could cause her to leave her best friend. She hadn't seen Ty Lee in months, and now…why would she abandon the trip so soon? _

"_Then…why have you come back?" he asked, honest curiosity glittering in his amber eyes._

Mai sighed, considering it. "But I couldn't possibly…Ty Lee, I haven't spent time with you in ages…and now, you want me to…?"

"Yes!" the acrobat rose onto her toes, rocking back and forth on her feet. "Listen, I'll come visit you. Soon. But this is more important. It must be resolved _now_. I'm not hurt. I know how important Zuko is to you and I know how important you are to him. You guys can't suffer at the expense of me or the Fire Nation or even the world. Fix this, and things will get better, because you'll be pulling the weight together instead of struggling apart. Okay? Promise me, won't you, Mai?"

Her gaze lowering to her lap, Mai thought hard for a long while. Finally, after several minutes of hopeful silence, she came to a decision. Looking up at Ty Lee, she nodded.

"I promise."

"_I came back," Mai answered, looking her boyfriend full in the face, "because we have something important to settle." _


	10. Awkward

**Prompt: **Ursa explaining the 'fact of life' to Azula, and Ozai to Zuko; siblings' talk after that. (I flipped this around a bit, and took Ozai out, because I didn't feel that he'd actually take the time to explain something like that to Zuko...especially since he's so full of himself he probably doesn't care...I hope you don't mind!)

**Requester: Lucrezia6565--**(Sorry it took so long to get up, I've been muy busy lately!)

**Words:** 1,187

* * *

"Mom, I demand to know why you and Father made Zuko first, instead of me!"

Ursa suddenly fell into a fit of coughing, almost causing herself to tip over the chair she had been sitting in. A female servant rushed to her aid, steadying the chair and reaching out a hand to help the Fire Lady, but Ursa waved her away, recovering quickly and wheezing, "I'm all right, leave us."

Hesitating, the servant backed away a few steps, but didn't depart.

Regaining her breath, Ursa glanced toward the door. "Go on, Ai. I need to have a private word with Princess Azula."

Curtsying politely, the servant girl glanced briefly toward the young princess and left the room, shutting the door with a soft _click _behind her.

As soon as they were alone, Azula piped up again, her amber eyes blazing. "Which one of you decided that Zuko was to become the heir and I wasn't?"

"Now, dear," Ursa calmed, "It's not that simple. Your father and I had no choice in the matter."

"What do you mean 'we had no choice?'" Azula whined, "You made us, didn't you? How do you expect me to believe that you had no choice in who came first?"

"Azula," Ursa sighed, suddenly sounding weary. She tried to grasp any explanation that a ten-year-old would understand, "You're a little too young for me to explain."

"What?" the princess scowled, "Are the answers only reserved for the _firstborn? _Does Zuko know already? Is it some secret harbored only by the Fire Lord and his wife, and their _heir?_" Azula was fuming now, suspicions of conspiracy and secrecy raging in her ten-year-old mind. Before her mother could even reprimand her for her insolence and disrespect, the princess shot out of the room, sprinting around corners and down winding corridors with surprising agility. She ran down two flights of stairs, leaped over a bench, slid under a long table that occupied the now-empty dining hall, and headed for the central courtyard and the turtle-duck pond. She knew Zuko would be there. He always was.

Today was no exception.

Sitting at the edge of the water and tossing breadcrumbs as far out as he could throw, the preteen prince watched as several turtle-ducklings scrambled over each other to get at the tidbits. Calm and serene, the place was a refuge and sanctuary for Zuko when being a 'proper' prince was too much and he needed a release from the pressures of being the Fire Lord's son. Usually, his peace didn't last long.

Today was no exception.

Azula burst in.

Vaulting over the wooden rail that separated the courtyard from the covered awning that led out of the palace building, she saved time instead of going through the gate. Running headlong across the lawn, she collided into him, and they rolled over and over on the grass, kicking and scratching and screaming, until finally, Azula pinned her older and bigger brother down in the grass.

Distant, frightened quacks echoed from the other side of the turtle-duck pond.

"Have you lost your_ mind_?" Zuko yelled, his voice high-pitched and angry as he continued to struggle, "What are you doing?!"

"I want my question answered, and no funny business!"

"_Funny business?!_" Zuko sputtered, his eyes narrowing in a glare. "Why couldn't you just have _asked _me, instead of tackling me to the ground?"

Pinning him by his wrists, she sat, straddling his chest and smirking down at him. "Number one, because its fun watching you squirm." Zuko snorted in response to this, but by now was far beyond helpless in his younger sister's grasp. "Number _two,_" Azula went on, ignoring his protest, "I can seriously injure you if you lie to me. So, answer truthfully, Zuzu, and you won't get hurt."

Zuko gaped, not quite in disbelief, but in the utter absurdity of the entire situation. "Fine," he hissed, "What's your question?"

Azula smirked, glad she had gotten the better of her older brother. "What do you know of Mother and Father's plot to make you Fire Lord?"

"Plot?" Zuko's eyebrow raised quizzically. "I thought the firstborn always becomes Fire Lord."

"Don't play with me," Azula hissed, to her brother's confusion. "I know you were born first! My question is _why? _Why not me?"

"Uh…"

"Aha! I knew you were hiding something!"

"What in the world are you _talking_ about?"

"Don't pretend you don't know, brother! _I know you do!_"

"I don't know what you're…wait, you want to know _what?!_"

"How is it possible an imbecile like you was born before me? Why would Mother and Father do that to me?"

Zuko suddenly became very quiet, his eyes wide, something akin to emptiness in his eyes. He said absolutely nothing for the longest possible time.

"_What?_" Azula demanded, giving him a frantic shake.

He stared up at her blankly, his eyes distant.

"Tell me!" she shook him again, and he blinked.

"Do you _really _want to know?" he asked, his voice quiet.

"Yes, yes! Tell me everything!" She was excited now, quivering like a wolf drawing close to its helpless prey.

"I'll only tell you if you let me up," Zuko demanded. "I can't tell a story like _this._"

Involuntarily, Azula let out a half-snarl. This was a dampener on her fun. But she had to agree, it would probably be questionable to anyone passing by what _exactly _she was doing. She didn't want to get caught interrogating Zuko about something he wasn't supposed to tell.

"Fine," she hissed, "But if you make a break for it, I'll catch you faster than you can blink."

She shifted back, settling on the spongy grass, allowing her brother to push himself to a sitting position. Brushing a stray clump of dirt off his shoulder he crossed his legs, leveling his gaze with hers. She listened hungrily as he began the tale.

* * *

An hour later, Azula returned to Ursa's sitting room, where they had had their earlier argument. Her face was pale and colorless, and her eyes were dull and shocked. Even her hair, usually so well kept and neat, stuck out in strange angles from her head, like she'd tussled with a wildcat.

"Oh, dear!" Ursa exclaimed, standing. "What happened?"

"This…?" Azula looked down at her wrinkled clothes that she'd messed up during the wrestle with Zuko. "Oh, this is nothing. Just playing."

Ursa stepped forward. "You know, Azula," she said, her voice tender, "Maybe I was too harsh with you. I've decided to answer your question from earlier. You have a right to know, just as Zuko did, when he was your age."

Azula's eyes flew wide, and she took a step back. "No, no, Mother. That's okay, I don't really need to know, anyway."

"Oh, but I think I should…"

But the princess was already out the door, her quick footsteps echoing down the hallway as she ran.

Ursa frowned, turning back to her maidservant, who stood back respectfully. "Ai," Ursa sighed, meeting eyes with the woman before her, "Where have I gone wrong raising that one?"

Ai's amber eyes sparkled knowingly as she locked gazes with her mistress.


	11. Be A Man

**A/N:** Second third of the last prompt. The last third will be Katara's section, but for now, that part's on hold. In the meantime, enjoy.

**Prompt: **Sokka's man-talk with Hakoda (of sorts)

**Requester: Lucrezia6565**

**Words:** 587—(nearly half the size of Awkward…)

* * *

_Chink. Chink._

_Chink. Chink. Chink._

_Chink. Ch-chink. Chink._

_Chink. Chink. Chink._

_Chink. Chink._

_Chink…_

_Chink. Chink. _

_Thud._

"Whoa, son, I think you cut a little deep there."

Sokka froze, turning his head slowly to glance up in horror at his father, both of his small, gloved hands still gripping the leather-bound handle of the oversize machete. Shamefaced, the boy tried to pull it free of the ice, grunting and straining, but to no avail. It was solidly stuck. His arms dropped to his sides, and he bowed his head guiltily.

"Sokka," Hakoda said sternly, kneeling beside his boy, "You know this weapon is unfit for a warrior of your build."

Sokka winced, sensing the chide beneath his father's soft words and knowing that he was deeply disappointed. Of course, that didn't stop Sokka from voicing his long-held desire. "I want to be a man like you. I was just trying to cut a block of ice for a new watchtower, Dad. Since I can't hunt and fight with you and the other men of our tribe, I wanted to do something useful!"

Hakoda's expression creased into one of understanding, and he placed his gloved hand on Sokka's shoulder. "Being a man, son, is not just about hunting and fighting."

Looking up at him in surprise, Sokka's confused blue eyes met his father's steady gaze. "What is it about, then?"

"Something so much more," Hakoda responded with a smile tugging at the corners of his lips. He clasped his hand on Sokka's shoulder. "Being a man is about protecting those weaker than you. Being a man is about helping those who can't help themselves. Being a man is about standing up for what you know is right, even if no one in the world is on your side. Being a man is about doing what is best for your family and keeping them safe. It's about not giving up even when things seem hopeless. It's about sacrificing what you have to help someone else. Don't ever forget that, Sokka. These things, and these things only, make you a man. Not how well you hunt and not how skilled a fighter you are, but rather, how hard you work to feed your family and how fiercely you protect those you love. These are the measures of a man."

For a long moment, all that could be heard was the arctic wind blowing over the landscape, and all that could be felt was the heat of the endless summer sun warming the bitterly frozen air.

Then, in a small voice, Sokka spoke. "I can be a man right _now_?"

Hakoda leveled his eyes with his son's. "If you're willing to put in the effort."

"I am!" the boy exclaimed, clasping his gloved hands together, a solemn vow.

"Good man," Hakoda's face creased into a smile, and he stood, patting his son's head. Sokka looked up at him, his little wolf-tail bobbing as the wind picked up. The Chief gestured toward his machete, buried up to its handle in ice. "But for now, let's leave the igloo destruction to the winter blizzards, okay? What'd you say?"

Sokka nodded once, and took a small step back.

Hakoda moved forward and gave the knife handle a sharp tug. It slid free with a protesting _sssshh, _and Sokka winced as part of the igloo wall slumped, caving halfway in. He couldn't meet his father's eyes when Hakoda looked expectantly at him.

"You're going to have to fix that, you know."

Sokka sighed. "Yes, sir."


	12. Fire, Water, and Brothers

**A/N:** Hey! Long time no update! This is a request I got over PM, and have been working on for a while now. I honestly think I rewrote this fic nearly eight times before I settled with this version. It doesn't really have all the aspects of the prompt, but it was a branch-off from another idea I had that was really too complicated to fit into a one-shot. Its not much, a little sketchy in places, and its not some of my best work...but it does have its good points, and I like it a lot more than the 3,000+ word other version of this fic. So, I hope you enjoy, and thanks for reading!

**Prompt: **AZULA+Mental health facility=FRIENDSHIP FIC!!!

**Requester: **BlueFireGirl1237 (Thx! :D )

**Words: 676**

**Other Comments:** This fic is set several years after the war, and Azula is about 17 or 18. Make your assumptions from there.

**

* * *

**

It was dawn.

Azula could tell.

Standing on the balcony of the Fire Nation Palace, she tasted the scent of the sweet summer breeze and watched as the grayness of night yielded to the pink and orange of dawn, listening as distant fire-birds twittered from their sheltered nests.

To anyone, it was obvious that the arrival of morning was inevitable.

Yet, it wasn't these apparent signs that so intensely and unmistakably told Azula that the forenoon was on the rise. It was a feeling…warmth gathered in the pit of her stomach, bubbling upward and outward, expanding as it came. This sensation…it was indescribable. When asked, Azula could only say…it was sunrise.

As daylight dawned, and the sky changed colors, it was the pleasure of her own inner fire awakening from its dormant state during the night that filled her. Fire coursed through her veins with every beat of her heart, and power flooded her being. It was a feeling that she had long taken advantage of, but had never fully appreciated until now.

Yes, she was a powerful firebender. Yes, she could torch almost anything to ashes, if she so wished.

But, as she had learned over the years, power without good judgment was weakness. The only true power was the power gained through truth, through leadership without oppression and fear, and by treating people—especially those she loved—with respect and dignity.

Azula inhaled deeply, relishing in the warmth of the sun as it rose above the horizon, shedding its life-giving rays on the world.

"Azula!"

A flash of blue entered the Fire princess' peripheral vision, and she exhaled, turning sharply toward the sound of the voice. Behind her, as the sun emerged, its energy flooded through her as she was greeted by the sight of a friend.

Katara approached her, dressed in her usual Water Tribe garb, blue kimono, water pouch, boots, and all. Her thick, wavy brown hair hung freely about her face, secured only by two small strands that were pinned at the back of her head with a pink blossom. Her face was flushed, and she moved with a springy excitement that was accented by a measure of indignation that glowed in her ice-blue eyes. When she spoke, her voice was clear and smooth, like the water of the coral reefs on a windless day.

"You will _never _guess what Sokka just told me!"

Her interest pricked, Azula cocked an eyebrow toward the waterbender questioningly.

Breathlessly, Katara explained.

"He told me that you and I would _never _be able to beat Zuko and him in a spar. A _spar!_ Isn't that ridiculous?"

"Ridiculous?" Azula sniffed, "You and I, against _them?_ Poor defenseless guys wouldn't stand a chance."

"I _know_," Katara responded, matter-of-factly shrugging her shoulders as she crossed her arms over her chest, "I didn't believe it either. But he's adamant. They've challenged us to a 'brothers versus sisters' duel. Toph said she'd mediate. You up for it?"

Azula pursed her lips, pretending to consider it as she shifted her weight to one side and crossed her arms, examining her fingernails intently. "What did Suki have to say?"

Katara blinked bemusedly at her friend and replied, "Suki said she'll watch, and warned my big-headed brother that he's got something coming."

"And Aang?"

"Aang said he wanted to join in, but we agreed this is a sibling-duel only. So he'll be laughing on the sidelines."

After a moment of prolonged silence, Azula smirked, dropping her arms and leveling her gaze squarely with the waterbender's. "Count me in."

Smiling deviously, Katara returned the smirk. "Ready to put the entire male population to shame?" The waterbender turned on her heel and paused, waiting for her friend to follow.

Azula's eyes narrowed, and she stepped forward. "We hardly need to. They humiliate themselves every time they dare challenge our might."

The two women fell into step beside each other, their footsteps echoing along the corridor as they left the balcony together, heading toward the palace's main courtyard.

Katara laughed at her friend's comment. "Very true."

* * *

**A/N:** How was it? Not too painful? Sorry, BlueFireGirl, that I couldn't fit in the mental health facility part. The time period of this fic though, does assume that she was admitted to some sort of asylum for a number of years before being released. I tried to uphold both Azula's character and she and Katara's tendency toward violence without creating an all-out battle scene that wouldn't fit in with my intended time sequence. Anyway...yeah. Thanks for reading, blah blah blah, review, blah blah blah, and have a great week!


	13. Stew

**A/N:** The last third of Lucrezia's request, Katara's section. Really short. Inspired by my 2-year-old niece. Enjoy!

**Prompt: **Katara and Kya; Life's Mystery

**Requester: Lucrezia6565**

**Words:** 339

* * *

"Mommy, how are babies made?"

The question, although innocent enough coming from the mouth of a five-year-old girl, made Kya choke on the mouthful of arctic seal-meat soup she had been taste-testing. She glanced quizzically down at her daughter. Katara's glowing blue eyes, brimming with curiosity, made her heart melt at the sight. Giving the bubbling stew an absentminded stir, Kya wondered if she should be having this conversation with Katara at such a young age. After a brief moment of contemplation, she decided against it.

"You know what, honey? I'll tell you when you're a little older."

"Oh," Katara's face fell, but then she looked back up; the flicker of frustration was gone, replaced with a calm acceptance layered over with a healthy skepticism at her mother's clear avoidance of the conversation. Finally, though, even that uncertainty was gone, her faith in Kya's actions as unyielding as only a child's can be. Instead, Katara offered an alternative. "Okay, Mommy. How about when I'm six?"

Kya smiled and pulled her daughter up on her lap, where she settled in comfortably. "We'll see. In the meantime, why don't you try the stew and tell me if it needs anything else?"

"Okay!" Katara beamed brightly, her previous disappointment forgotten. Opening her mouth wide, she allowed Kya to spoon some stew onto her waiting tongue. Swallowing, Katara smacked her lips thoughtfully. With a decisive lift of her chin, she looked up at her mother. "Daddy likes it with more salt. Sokka told me it makes it taste more…" she made a face, "…manly."

Stifling a chuckle, Kya nodded solemnly. She barely held back a smile that tugged at her lips. Moments like these with her daughter warmed her to the core. "Good then. More salt it is. We'll make the manliest seal-stew ever eaten by men, won't we, 'Tara?"

Katara nodded enthusiastically, taking the spoon from her mother's hand and twirling it in the air.

"And tomorrow night," the five year old beamed, "We'll make the girl-iest seal-stew ever eaten by girls!"

* * *

**A/N: **Was it weird? Strange? Odd? All of the Above? Tell me what you think. :D


	14. Happy

**A/N:** Toph and kids. It just makes a person wonder. :D

**Prompt:** Happy

**Requestor: Wolfdog-Aleu **:D

**Words: **267 (Yay shortness!)

* * *

**Happy**

It was weird, I have to admit.

Even thinking about it blows my mind.

The feeling is unlike anything I've ever felt, the feeling of this thing growing inside me. Its heartbeat grows stronger by the day, and as it grows, so do I. Which, for quite a while, has been a hard concept for me to swallow.

The ordeal itself is completely foreign. Having a kid was the _last _challenge I'd ever expected myself to take on, especially now. Even though the war ended more than a decade ago, the world is still picking up the pieces of a hundred-year struggle. My friends need me—and all my wicked metalbending skills—to help keep the peace.

Yet, knowing what is going to happen in the next few months has empowered me to take better care of myself—more than I have cared ever before, and for a good reason.

I'm responsible for _two_ lives now, not just one. Sure, I've always taken seriously the business of protecting my friends and family, but I also can trust those people to take care of themselves if the situation calls for it.

This, however, is different. This baby can't hold its own in a fight. I am its first and only line of defense, and if I go down, so will he.

If I have to miss a couple of fights for his sake, so be it.

Besides, when the little bugger is grown, he'll be able to smash a few heads of his own. Seeing that dream come to reality will be the happiest day of my life.


	15. Burning Cabbages

**A/N:** Don't ask where the title came from. I honestly don't know.

**Prompt: **Azula meets the Cabbage Merchant

**Requester: **JAGII (anon) (Thanks a bunch for the review, by the way!)

**Words: 605** (Good or bad, you tell me)

* * *

**Burning Cabbages**

Clear skies and warm weather greeted Azula as she strolled down one of the wide, brick-paved streets of Ba Sing Se's Upper Ring. Amidst the scurrying of various servants, on errands for their masters, Azula casually observed the city in the full swing of everyday life. Dressed up in her Kyoshi Warrior guise, the Fire Nation princess strode purposefully down the lane in the late afternoon heat.

A sudden movement caught Azula's eye, and she paused in her walk, coming briskly to a halt in front of a small vegetable kiosk. An old man appeared from behind it, tenderly adjusting the position of one of the items on display. He wore a simple tan tunic with a green vest and hat. His face was drawn and tired, though there was a particular sparkle in his eye that Azula found fascinatingly peculiar.

"Tell me, peasant," she spoke when the man acknowledged her presence with a smile, "Why did you set up your cabbage cart here, in the Upper Ring? The commercial district is in the Lower Ring. You would make much more profit if you were to sell your wares there."

"Ah," the man replied, patting his cart fondly, "But my cabbages are far too superior to be sold to just anyone. Only the finest of nobility, those who live in this district, may buy such expertly grown cabbages as these. Therefore, it only makes sense for me to set up where there are no low-class people that I would have to turn down."

Azula regarded the man calculatingly. She contemplated the logic of his explanation, and decided that it was satisfactory. "Very well," she said, "Carry on." As she was about to continue her walk, the man interrupted with a wave of his arm. Azula stopped, and turned back toward him.

"You know, I once sold cabbages to King Bumi in Omashu. That was one of the most magnificent experiences of my life."

"Quite," Azula raised her eyebrow, her interest perked.

The merchant went on. "It was magnificent, of course, until the Avatar and his friends crashed in. Quite literally, too. My cart was obliterated, and my poor cabbages…"

"The Avatar?" Azula interrupted.

"Yes!" the merchant answered, his voice spiking to an extremely high pitch. "That rascal. It seems everywhere I go, I can't get away from him and his cabbage-murdering companions." He sighed. "No matter, though. I think my cabbages and I are safe here. For the time being, at least. The Avatar left the city last week on some mission or other."

Azula leveled her amber gaze with his. "The Avatar will return, there is no doubt about that."

"Oh," the merchant deflated, "Too bad."

"Don't worry, though," Azula assured him, an ominous undertone creeping into her voice, "You won't have to deal with the Avatar or his friends any longer. By the end of the week I will have dealt with them."

"Would you do that for _me_?" the cabbage merchant was thrilled. "How kind! Make sure to tell him that he still owes me two cartfuls of cabbages that he crashed."

"Two?" Azula questioned skeptically.

"Oh, yes," the merchant waved a hand dismissively. "The other time was at a port in the southeastern Earth Kingdom. That was before my cabbages and I had reached our full potential."

"Right," Azula blinked with irritation. The conversation had become dull and uninteresting for her, and she lost no time in leaving. Striding off, she caught a faint farewell cry of the merchant of cabbage.

"Nice meeting you, young lady!"

The corners of Azula's lips twitched upward in a haughty smirk, and she walked on.


	16. A Lasting Friendship

**A/N:** (Disclaimer) Let it henceforth be known to all readers that the nickname 'Storm' for a particular character in this one-shot belongs officially to me, JESUSFREAK. However, the names Mai, Ty Lee, Suki, Koko, Zuko, etc., unfortunately do not in any way whatsoever belong to me. *cries*

**Prompt:** Ty Lee and The Foaming at the Mouth Guy

**Requester: **Lucrezia6565

**Words: **858

* * *

**A Lasting Friendship**

Sea foam rode atop the crests of windblown waves, reflecting the image of the clouds that were dotted throughout the blue sky. Situated several miles off the southwestern coast of the Earth Kingdom's mainland was a small, densely vegetated island.

Plowing steadily toward the shoreline inside the natural cove of this island was a lavishly decorated Fire Nation transport vessel. At the docks, a small welcome party, comprised of three young girls and one man, stood awaiting the ship's arrival.

"I'm so excited!" exclaimed on of the girls, a short-haired ten-year-old, to the others.

"Calm down, Koko," the man instructed. "It's just our Warriors returning."

Koko frowned and crossed her arms, pouting.

One of the other girls sniffed irritably. "Of _course,_ Storm. _You _never get excited about anyone but the Avatar."

"That's not true," the man answered. "I got excited when his friends came that time a couple months ago."

"Yeah, because you thought he was with them!" Koko shot back, snickering, "And you foamed and raved like a rabid platypus-bear!"

While Koko and her friends laughed, Lee was silent.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

"It's so great to be home," Suki inhaled deeply as she led the other Kyoshi Warriors down the ramp that formed from the folded bowsprit of the Fire Nation ship and onto the sturdy wooden dock that extended from their island.

"I know, isn't it?" Ty Lee squealed excitedly from behind her. The acrobat twirled around, relishing the cool feeling of the breeze as it whistled around her. "I feel more at home here than I did in the circus!"

One of the other girls laughed. "You've got to admit we're cooler than any tight-rope walk or balancing act, right?"

Ty Lee smiled and nudged her friend with an elbow playfully. "Exactly!"

Then, the acrobat stopped, her boots clicking against the metal plate below her feet, allowing her fellow warriors to pass by and continue down the ramp.

"Mai!" Ty Lee turned and called to a figure that stood in the shadow of the ship's stem. "Hurry up!"

"I still can't believe you dragged me all this way," came her friend's dull reply.

"Oh, lighten up, Mai!" Ty Lee responded teasingly. "You know you wanted to get away! And at least I didn't make you dress up again, eh?"

The corners of Mai's lips twitched upward in a faint smile as she emerged into the sunlight and made her way casually down the ramp, her manicured hands tucked into the wide sleeves of her tunic. "That's true." Her Royal traveling robes swished as she moved, and although they weren't the most comfortable attire she'd ever worn, they certainly were better than the bulky, decorative Kyoshi Warrior gear.

The two girls stepped off of the ramp side by side. Suki and the other girls had already advanced far up the docks, and had already met with the greeting party.

"Come on!" Ty Lee exclaimed, grabbing her friend's sleeve and leaping into a swift run, her feet tapping lightly over the dock's wooden planks.

Mai sprinted beside the acrobat, expression impassive, though it was exhilarating to run. She hadn't been able to do much more than walk or palanquin ride in the several months since her release from the Boiling Rock prison. Peace meetings and listening to manipulative delegates speak their minds had begun to take a toll on her mental health. When Zuko had said this vacation was what she needed, Mai had been quick to agree.

Lengthening her stride, Mai pulled level with Ty Lee, and for twenty meters, they ran head-to-head, skidding to a halt beside the welcome party and the other Kyoshi Warriors.

"Ty Lee!" Suki called, waving her over.

The acrobat tugged Mai forward with her, weaving through the other girls to stand beside their leader. Beside Suki stood a young man with short brown hair that flipped outward just below his ears. He wore the typical blue tunic of Kyoshi residents, and looked to be no older than nineteen or twenty. "Hey there," Ty Lee greeted warmly, outgoing as ever.

"Mai, Ty Lee," Suki introduced, "This is Lee." He gave a shy wave, staring at them with wide eyes. Suki smiled, and went on. "Here, we like to call him Storm."

"Storm?" Mai drawled, regarding the man with a casual eye. "Why do you call him that?"

"Well," Suki shrugged, "He tends to drool a little when he's excited or nervous. More than a little, actually. He foams up like clouds during a storm." She nudged him teasingly. "Don't you?"

The man nodded sheepishly.

Ty Lee giggled. "Nice to meet you, Storm," she held out her hand to shake.

Storm took it tentatively, returning her greeting with a toothy smile and a strange, high-pitched grunt.

Ty Lee shook his hand heartily and laughed. "You know, you're kind of cute."  
Storm chuckled a little, and spittle dripped from his lips. Suki and Mai stepped back, disgusted, but Ty Lee just grinned.

As they watched Lee and Ty Lee laugh together, Suki shifted closer to Mai. "Sounds like the beginning of a beautiful friendship, eh?"

Mai glanced at her skeptically and made an exaggerated gagging noise.

* * *

**A/N:** I admit, this could be better. But I was crunched for time. I'm going on vacation soon and I figured I owed all you fantastic readers and reviewers something to chew on. :D

* * *


	17. Yours, Mine, Ours

**A/N:** This is a prompt I've had for a _long _time, so long, in fact, that I'm not even sure exactly how long I've had it. But it's here now, and that's what matters, right? (_people throw vegetables of various kinds_) Anywho, please enjoy!

**Prompt: **Suki and Toph; who's Sokka's girl?

**Requester: Moon-san** (It's reviewers like you that keep this series going!)

**Words: **1,143—quite long, but you deserve it for having waited so long!

* * *

It was late. The sun had long since gone to bed, the last remnants of its light faded from the sky. Smoldering flames from the campfire cast an orange glow upon several sleeping forms lying on the tiled stone floor of a large, open chamber that was nestled in the heart of one of many pagodas that made up the Western Air Temple. The breeze that drifted through the temple was cool, and held the sweet tang of flowering plants. The nighttime sky was clear, though most of it was hidden from the view of the members of the gang, who were clustered together in the shade of a pagoda, most of them lying down fast asleep.

Suki sat huddled near the fire, staring into the flickering sparks, reflecting on the past few days. Beside her, Sokka lounged, mumbling softly to himself and yawning occasionally. In one hand he held a long page of parchment, and through bleary and tired eyes, he scanned the scroll back and forth. Before long, even he had drifted off into oblivion.

Drawing herself gradually out of the daze she had settled into with the coming of night, Suki glanced around, noting with slight surprise that almost everyone was out for the count, aside from herself and the blind earthbender…Toph, she remembered.

She openly stared at the twelve year old metalbender as her mind wandered, drifting from one random topic to another as her focus blurred and true exhaustion…built up from both the hard life at the Boiling Rock prison and the recent heart-pounding escape from that life…set in.

By contrast, on the other side of the campfire, Toph was fully awake. She had never considered herself a night owl, but the setting sun had little effect on her, because she was surrounded by darkness around the clock. Especially since their arrival at the Western Air Temple. She'd been resting and sleeping a lot lately because the speed of her life had slowed down considerably. She had a lot more spare time, most of which was spent either eating, sleeping, or chatting. On one hand, it was a huge relief. No more all-day flying, no more dodging Fire Nation bounty hunters, no more going for days off of four hours worth of sleep and two meals worth of rations.

On the other hand, it was awfully boring. Other than the initial brief skirmish with Zuko and the Combustion Man, day-to-day, there was very little of the action that Toph had come to crave. She had come to pass the time by poking fun at various people and dreaming up insulting nicknames for the newest members of their group.

As difficult as it had been to adjust to three additional people in the group after the failed invasion attempt, adding four more had been even more challenging, especially for Toph. More people meant more nerves to agitate, less food to go around, and more input to every decision. What before would be a simple run-through of opinions (with only occasional opposition) now became a heated debate among the eleven people living in quarters that were at times too close for comfort.

The most difficult transition (for Toph especially) was Suki's arrival. She and Sokka had suddenly become an inseparable pair, never was one of them seen without the other, and the earthbender often felt like she was left out in the cold. Before, she and Sokka had been the chin-lifters of the group, the two that made a high-stress lifestyle into a high-stress lifestyle that was full of laughter. Now, she felt that she'd been left to do the job alone.

For the most part, she disregarded these feelings as insignificant and self-centered. But they kept returning, persistent in 'nagging like Sugar Queen', and she found it harder and harder to keep her irritation under control.

Toph could feel it even now, crawling underneath her skin and threatening to emerge. As Suki continued to stare at her from across the campfire, the earthbender could feel her piercing gaze, and that irritation bubbled quickly and uncontrollably to the surface in one great burst.

"You know, just because I'm blind doesn't mean I don't notice you doing that," she snapped suddenly.

Her voice echoed as it rebounded off the ceiling of the large chamber, and it was those loud echoes that jerked Suki from her trance.

"What…?" the Kyoshi Warrior's eyes focused suddenly, and she saw the little earthbender before her, her pale face illuminated by the smoldering branches in the dying fire.

"Don't act like you don't know what I'm talking about," Toph snorted irritably, though she sensed the girl's genuine confusion.

"Oh," Suki responded, her voice lilting apologetically, "I'm sorry. I was just thinking."

"About what, exactly?" Toph prompted, her impulsive curiosity overwhelming her annoyance.

"About what's happened the past few months," Suki answered thoughtfully. "And," she admitted, "Mostly about Sokka and me."

"So, you two are pretty tight-knit?" Toph commented flatly.

Suki chuckled. "Well, I guess you could say that."

"It's a wonder you can put up with him," the earthbender sniffed. "He's a nutcase sometimes."

Suki laughed. "You've got to love him, though, right?"

Toph shrugged her shoulders and smirked. "We've had some good times."

"So I've heard."

The earthbender blinked, edging on bewilderment. "You have?"

"Oh, a ton!" Suki nodded enthusiastically. "You're all he talks about, besides meat (of course) and how badly we're going to kick the Fire Lord's butt."

"Really?" Toph couldn't keep the blatant disbelief out of her voice.

Suki didn't hesitate to go on. "He told me all about your little gambling expedition, and how cool it was that you could scam all those scammers out of their money," –Toph smirked—"And he told me about the invasion, and how invaluable you were getting inside their bunker, and he told me about how you keep even _his_ spirits up when things get really bad. And he told me about your Earth Rumble tournaments, and how you taught Aang to earthbend, and of course there was that one time when…"

"All right, all right," Toph held up her hands in appeasement. "I get the picture. He talks about me a lot." Despite her sarcastic shell, her heart was warmed by the words.

Though she tried to hide it, Suki saw the happy glint that formed in the earthbender's sightless eyes, and smiled to herself. Toph's heart was in the right place. She and Sokka had formed a bond that was beyond Suki's comprehension, and though it made her feel like a third wheel sometimes, she couldn't deny that together Toph and Sokka made a formidable team.

"Toph," Suki spoke tenderly, "No matter how rough our lives may get, you'll always have his friendship, and that's all that matters. I may be his girlfriend, but you are and will always be his _best_ friend."

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**A/N:** Maybe not as great as you expected? Or as bad as you expected? I pray it be the latter. Please review. Don't make me beg, because I will. :D


	18. Desert Ale

**A/N:** I can't tell you how much fun this was to write. I would have had this posted two days ago, but my account was down for a day, and then when I could finally log in, it was another day before I could upload the document. So, sorry. But it's here now, so yay. :D

**Prompt: **Zuko, Momo, and Delusions

**Requester: Sable Cygnus** (You're the best!)

**Words: **747

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**Desert Ale**

"Come on! It'll be fun!"

Those were Sokka's words. He always used them when he was dragging one of his friends into some scheme, and very few people in the Gaang were unacquainted with the hint. If it had been Katara, Aang, or Toph he had taken by the sleeve and dragged toward that exotic beverage kiosk, they would've foreseen the danger immediately.

Zuko wasn't as knowledgeable, and unfortunately for him, there was no one else with them to pick up on the devious lilt in Sokka's tone, and he followed the water tribesman blindly into disaster.

Momo sat perched on the firebender's shoulder as Zuko stood off to one side, waiting impatiently while Sokka spoke with the owner of the kiosk. The lemur's ringed tail was curled around Zuko's neck, and his long ears were pricked forward as he burbled with unease.

Sokka flipped off the cap of a gourd that was hanging with the other merchandise of the kiosk, and sniffed at its contents. Then, he said something to the owner than Zuko couldn't quite catch.

"That's right, young man," the owner nodded enthusiastically, smiling, "The very finest. This ale is made from the very best that the desert has to offer."

Sokka nodded thoughtfully, flipping the cap closed. "I'll take it," he said, placing several coins into the owner's hand.

Zuko rolled his eyes and exchanged a glance with Momo. He scratched the little lemur between the ears and sighed. "What is he up to now, huh?" the firebender murmured. Momo just purred.

Sokka slung the gourd over his shoulder and led Zuko and Momo into a small flower shop, where a few tables and chairs were set up in the corner. Plopping down in one chair and motioning for Zuko to take another, Sokka tossed the gourd toward his friend.

Zuko caught it as he sat. Narrowing his eyes suspiciously, the firebender twisted the cap off.

"What is this stuff?" he asked, inhaling its scent suspiciously. To his surprise, he found that it didn't smell like anything. He poured a little out into the palm of his hand. It was clear, like water. Momo sniffed at it, and lapped at some of it curiously, licking his lips with a mew of contentment.

"It's good," Sokka insisted with a winning smile, "You'll like it! Just try some."

Zuko glanced down at the liquid cupped in his hand. Then he shrugged. "All right," he agreed, and tipped back his head and let the water-like drink pour from his hand into his mouth.

A burst of flavor exploded onto Zuko's tongue, and the potency shocked him. Swallowing, Zuko smiled, and took another swig from the gourd, and the drink felt refreshingly cold as it drained down his throat. "This _is_ good," he affirmed, glancing back up at Sokka.

Zuko was surprised to find a smirk playing around the water tribesman's face.

Suddenly, a flower growing in a small pot on the table burst into flames.

"Whoa!" Zuko jumped back, knocking over his chair and stumbling into the wall in the process.

"What?" Sokka demanded, though he sat as calmly as ever, with that knowing smirk still dancing across his features.

"That plant!" Zuko exclaimed, "You don't see…?"

The firebender looked back up at his friend, wondering absently why Sokka's skin was turning purple. Then Zuko looked back down at the gourd he held in his hand. He put it to his lips and was about to take another drink when Sokka suddenly snatched it from him with a violet hand.

"That's enough," the purple Sokka said, snapping the cap closed again. "That'll keep you going for a while. This stuff isn't as straight as the stuff I had in the desert, but you just drank twice as much as I did then."

"_What?_" Zuko's dilated eyes widened. "You gave me _what?_"

He blinked confusedly as his senses registered Momo, who still sat on his shoulder, chirruping with alarm.

Sokka watched with a grin as Zuko turned to a large, fluffy white bush on a stand amidst several other plants and peered at it closely.

"Appa?" the firebender squinted at it, "How'd you get so small?"

The water tribesman smiled and took his friend by the wrist and led him toward the door, waving good-bye to the mystified shopkeeper.

"Wait, I forgot the steak sauce for my butter-bee!" Zuko cried, stumbling. Momo clung to him, screeching.

Sokka smiled. _Today, _he thought with a laugh, _Will be fun._

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**A/N:** Please review and leave a prompt! I am in dire need of more!


	19. Spies

**A/N:** I'm just cranking these out! I guess I'm trying to purge all my creativity before the school year starts. :D

**Prompt:** Zuko/Sokka/Toph fun + Kataang

**Requester: **Katsumara (I have a feeling that this isn't exactly what you had in mind, but it was the first thing that fell out of _my_ mind, and with me, the first idea is usually the best.)

**Words: **760 (Hey, I'm getting pretty good at this limit thing... :P)

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**Spies**

"Hush!"

"Ow! You hush!"

"Quiet!"

"What? You sho—"

_Whack._

Sokka winced as the rock, as big as one of his fists, collided with the side of his head. Left with a throbbing ache in his temple, and he glowered at the violent blind girl crouching beside him.

Before he could say another word, the warrior found Toph's hand in his face. She hissed with annoyance.

"Look, Snoozles," she began in a stressed whisper, "I've worked _too _long and _too _hard to have you and Dizzy over there ruin this now."

"Huh," Zuko hiccupped, kneeling behind Sokka, "It's not my fault that _he _made me drink cactus juice." He glared pointedly at Sokka.

Toph sniffed. "If you were stupid enough to drink something Sokka bought on the street corner, then I have to say you deserved it."

"You've got to admit it was pretty funny," the warrior put in, grinning.

Zuko only scowled.

"So, remind me again, Toph," Sokka whispered, changing the subject, "Why are we spying on Aang and Katara on their first date?"

"Number one," the earthbender responded, lifting her index finger, "I set them _up _on this date in the first place."

Zuko snorted. "But they aren't even dating. They're just buying supplies for your trip to Gaoling."

"That's what they _want _you to think," Toph smirked, leaning back against the counter that they hid behind.

Zuko rolled his eyes.

Sokka opened his mouth to say something, but before he could, Toph lunged forward, grabbing the warrior by the collar of his tunic and dragging him closer to the counter next to her. "They're coming!" she hissed, and Zuko scooted in beside him, praying that they wouldn't be seen.

Katara and Aang rounded the counter and headed for the door, walking shoulder-to-shoulder. The airbender carried a pack slung over his shoulder, filled with supplies, and Katara glanced over a grocery list she held in her hand.

"I can't believe they didn't have seal jerky!" the waterbender was complaining. "What kind of deli is this?"

"I'm sure we'll find it somewhere," Aang said consolingly. "Besides, Sokka will understand…"

He trailed off suddenly, pausing.

Sokka inhaled sharply. "We're caught!" he exclaimed in a stressed whisper.

Aang glanced back over his shoulder and caught sight of his three friends huddled behind the counter. The airbender's eyes narrowed, and he frowned.

Sokka's eyes widened pleadingly, and Zuko shook his head, begging him to not say anything.

Katara was already at the door. She hadn't noticed their presence. "I highly doubt Sokka will understand," she sighed, "I mean, he'll just say we didn't look hard enough…" With a huff of exasperation, she pushed the door open.

Aang shot one last glare at the three peepers and turned away. He caught up to Katara at the door in one quick bound, and held it open for her as she strode through, still studying the list she'd made.

"I don't know," the airbender shrugged, his gaze flickering toward Sokka's hiding place, "I'm pretty sure he'll get over it _this_ time."

Sokka winced at his tone of voice. The door clicked behind the airbender as he left, and the warrior sighed.

"I'm not going to get my seal jerky now, am I?"

Toph crossed her arms and lifted an eyebrow. "You _think_?"

Zuko huffed, leaning back against the counter in relief. "We're so lucky he didn't rat us out. Could you imagine what Katara would do if she saw us…?"

"I'd rather not," Sokka stuck out his tongue, blanching. The warrior stood up, stretching his arms. Sitting crouched in that awkward position had made his muscles cramp. He looked pointedly at Toph. "He never would've caught us if you hadn't taught him blind earthbending so well."

"Is that supposed to be a compliment?" Toph cocked her head, smirking.

"If _you _didn't have such a big mouth," Zuko intervened, glaring at Sokka as he stood.

Toph shrugged. "Well, it doesn't matter now. We're out for the count. Might as well pack up and go home. No use following them when Twinkletoes is keeping an eye out."

"Well," Sokka hummed, glancing around the shop, "Since we're here, who wants some bull-boar brisket for dinner?"

"As long as you don't marinate the meat with cactus juice," Zuko replied bitterly.

"Hey," Sokka stroked his chin thoughtfully. "That's not such a bad idea…"

Toph cracked her knuckles absently and nudged Zuko with her elbow. "Remind me never to eat anything Sokka cooks."

The firebender nodded. "I will if you will," he offered.

Without hesitation, Toph agreed.

"You've got a deal."


	20. The Bet

**A/N:** My first post after a long recess. Please forgive any mistakes.

**Prompt:** Kya, Yue, and Jet in the Spirit World.

**Requester: Sable Cygnus**—(I am forever in your debt! But it's not like I wasn't already. :D)

**Words: **265—short and sweet?

* * *

**The Bet**

"Ha! I knew it! Pay up, Water Tribe witches!"

"No way, I totally called it first!"

"I'm her mother, I knew all along!"

Jet's eyebrow rose in disbelief. "Come on, Kya. You never even met the kid!"

Katara's mother tucked her hands into the thick sleeves of her fur robe. "Haven't you ever heard of a mother's intuition? I can read my daughter's thoughts almost better than I can my own."

"That's a load of blubbered seal meat!"

Kya glanced up toward the moon spirit with surprise at the ferocity of her exclamation.

The Freedom Fighter snorted in agreement. "You said it, Yue."

The white-haired teen smiled serenely. "I knew better than either of you."

"Hey," Jet stood up, immediately on the defensive. "Just because you're the 'almighty' moon doesn't mean you know it all. I knew them both far before you did!"

"And tried to 'hit it up' with my daughter," Kya countered dangerously, her eyes narrowing.

Jet gaped. "Whoa, don't spring that on me again. I repented, remember? I paid the ultimate price for them at Ba Sing Se."

"Right, right, we know," Yue waved a white-gloved hand dismissively. "I still insist I knew before either of you." She blinked, her crystalline eyes sparkling teasingly.

"What!?" Jet and Kya exclaimed simultaneously, thoroughly indignant.

The trio continued to argue, even as rainbow colors were thrown across the sky by the dying flame of the setting sun, and pinprick stars began to appear to the view of the mortal world.

Far below the clouds, Aang and Katara continued to kiss, utterly oblivious to it all.

* * *

**A/N:** Reviews spelled backwards is Sweiver. Huh. Sounds German.


	21. It's a WinWin!

**Prompt: **Suki, Ty Lee, and the most awesome beach babe competition ever; Toph and Sokka bet on it

**Requester: mike50333** (I've got to say thank you for the renewal!)

**Words: **1,148—and I cut it down, too!

* * *

**It's a Win-Win!**

The day was mild on Kyoshi Island. The sun was warm, the ocean cool, the grass soft, and the wind pleasant. The weather begged a point, and most of the inhabitants of the island were taking the hint. The beaches were scattered with sunbathers and swimmers, knowing that the Unagi's summer home was in open water, following the migratory elephant koi, and it wouldn't be back in the bay until autumn.

To Aang's disappointment, there were very few elephant koi that hadn't already departed, and the airbender was left to his own devices. He and Katara had become involved in an intense waterbending fight, and were surfing on platforms of ice in the center of the bay, battling each other neck and neck.

Sokka and Suki sat side by side on a beach blanket near the water, enjoying the beautiful weather and laughing occasionally to themselves.

Ty Lee and Toph lounged a little ways down the cove. Toph was intent on perfecting a sand sculpture she had made of her hometown, Gaoling, when two little boys playing a game of catch stumbled right through it, scattering the sand.

"Hey!" Ty Lee was on her feet in defense of her friend, pointing accusingly at the two young kids, "Jo! Zhang! Look what you've done! Apologize!"

The boys, around six or seven years of age, scuffed their feet in the sand with embarrassment, staring shamefaced at the meticulous sand-model they had inadvertently destroyed. "Sorry," they mumbled dejectedly, and shuffled off towards the water.

Ty Lee shot Toph a sympathetic look, but the earthbender shrugged, leaning back on her arms. "Eh, they're kids," she brushed it off, despite her disappointment. "The tide would've washed it out anyway."

"You know," Ty Lee sat gracefully back down in the sand, "I'm bored."

Toph turned toward her with a smirk. "You too?"

"Yeah," Ty Lee affirmed. Holding up a hand to halt her friend's quick reply, she continued, "And before you come up with some devious plan, Toph, I have an idea."

The earthbender crossed her arms, flipping her black bangs back from her jaded eyes, which sparkled challengingly. "Let's hear it, then."

* * *

***

* * *

"Hey Suki!"

The Kyoshi Warrior looked up to see two of her friends approaching at a leisurely walk.

"Hey Ty Lee," Suki nodded, "Toph. What's up?"

Sokka, sitting beside her, arched an eyebrow at Toph when he saw her expression. "I've seen that smirk before," the warrior noted suspiciously. "What are you guys up to?"

Ty Lee hefted a large, white, round object in her hand. It was a ball. "Just looking for a game of netball. You up to a challenge, Suki?"

"Are you kidding?" Suki crossed her arms, laughing. "I'm the best netball player on Kyoshi."

"Let's go, then," Ty Lee insisted with a taunting smile.

Suki stood, brushing sand off of the seat of her bathing suit. "You're on."

Just then, Katara came barreling up, skipping off the crest of a wave and landing lightly beside her friends, showering them with droplets of saltwater. "What's going on?" the waterbender asked as Aang alighted on the sand next to her, sopping wet from head to toe.

"Suki's going to beat Ty Lee at a game of netball," Sokka explained, shielding his face as Aang blew himself and Katara dry with airbending.

Toph plopped down on the blanket beside him and let out a snort of laughter. "Yeah, whatever, Snoozles. Ty Lee has your girlfriend swamped up to her ears in failure, and the game hasn't even started."

"Hey—" Sokka started, seeing Suki's face flare pink. "You don't know who you're dealing with," the water tribesman warned.

"Fine, then," Toph sniffed, "Put your money where your mouth is, Ponytail."

Sokka puffed up indignantly when he heard the derogatory nickname. "I will!" he waved dismissively toward the rest of his friends. "All right, guys, give us some space to discuss this wager in private. Go on, get the court set up!"

Aang, Katara, Suki, and Ty Lee grudgingly obliged, and went further up the beach to map up a good location for the court as Toph and Sokka decided the terms of their bet in hushed whispers.

When the terms were finalized, Sokka and Toph moved the beach blanket and umbrella toward the court where Ty Lee and Suki were setting up the net. A couple of the other Kyoshi Warriors had joined them, curious as to what was going to happen.

"So," Aang piped, voicing everyone's questions as Toph and Sokka approached, "What are your pledges?"

"The terms will not be revealed until the completion of the game," Sokka replied in a flat tone, though his ears had reddened in the hot sunlight.

Aang looked to Toph for an explanation, but she just shrugged, her cheeks flushed beneath a shield of black bangs.

Katara exchanged an amused glance with Ty Lee.

"All right, everyone!" Sokka ordered to the crowd that had gathered, "Get on the outside of the lines, people! Come on! Give 'em some room!"

The people did as they were told, and Ty Lee and Suki took up their places on either side of the net. Katara stood in the center, the self-promoted mediator. She held the ball in her hands. "Okay," the waterbender began once the crowd was quiet, "You know the rules. No hands after the ball is served, and a point to your opponent if the ball touches the ground on your side. Ready?"

"Ready!" Ty Lee and Suki replied in unison, their eyes glinting with determination.

Katara tossed the ball toward Suki, who caught it easily. The waterbender held her arm straight up in the air, like a flag. "First serve!" Katara shouted, and brought her hand down sharply.

The game began.

* * *

***

* * *

Katara put two fingers to her lips and whistled sharply as the ball danced over Suki's head and rolled out-of-bounds for the final time. "Ty Lee wins!" the waterbender shouted, pointing toward the beaming acrobat.

Suki picked herself up off of the ground and dusted herself off, disappointed and panting with exertion. She met Ty Lee at the net. Her friend's brow was glistening with sweat, and her eyes gleamed dully with exhaustion.

"That was some game," Suki stuck out her hand good-naturedly, smiling.

Ty Lee grinned back, shaking hands heartily. "Great play," she congratulated. "We should definitely do this again sometime."

Suki nodded, chuckling. "I wonder what crazy thing Toph dreamed up for Sokka to do."

Suddenly, the two girls heard a shrill whistle from someone in the crowd. They glanced over to see that Sokka had scooped Toph into his arms, and was kissing her passionately. The earthbender's pale arms were draped around his tan neck, and her hair had fallen back, revealing the smug expression on her face as they kissed.

Suki exchanged a horrified glance with Ty Lee, who covered her mouth in an effort to keep from laughing.

"I hope you guys aren't enjoying that!"

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**A/N:** Because I couldn't resist. Ideas like this one tend to assault me in my dreams.


	22. Forgotten

**Forgotten**

**Aang: **Say, what's this?

**Katara: **What's what?

**Aang: **There is an old, crinkled, abandoned story in the corner over here. It says 'Shorties' on it.

**Toph: **Oh, I remember that thing. It's from forever ago. Apparently it needed story requests or something to stay alive.

**Katara: **Well, it looks sort of dead now.

**Sokka: **What're you guys looking at?

**Aang: **This 'Shorties' story. Apparently it died from lack of…what did you say it needed, Toph?

**Toph: **Story requests.

**Aang: **Right. It died from lackofstoryrequestation.

**Katara: **_(raised eyebrow) _Uh-huh. So…how are we supposed to give it story requests?

**Sokka: **Um…_(helplessly) _spirit water?

**Katara: **_(irritably) _I haven't had any of that for years, Sokka. And I don't think that's what Toph means by 'story requests'.

**Aang: **_(scanning a page of the story) _Well, it mentions something about reviewers in here. Do you think that means anything?

**Toph: **I think its people who read the story and comment on it. Or, so I was told.

**Sokka: **Told by whom?

**Toph: **You don't know.

**Sokka: **Which is why I'm asking.

**Katara: **_(interrupting) _Well, how do we get people to comment on the story?

**Aang: **Maybe we should go put it in a public place like…the market. Or that library down the street.

**Sokka: **We could proclaim it from the rooftops.

**Toph: **Or make copies of it and post it on everyone's doors.

**Katara: **Well, how about we try writing a new chapter?

**Sokka: **A new chapter? Well how are we going to do that without any requests?

**Toph: **Don't worry. I've already done it.

**Aang: **Awesome! What'd you write about, Toph?

**Toph: **Just everything we're saying. Should be good enough, right?

**Katara: **Yeah, that seems appropriate. Okay. Let's post it.

**Aang: **Onward! _(tapes Toph's paper inside the story)_

_(Everyone glances at each other, looking proud of themselves for solving the problem.)_

**Sokka: **Wait a minute…Toph! You can't write!

* * *

**A/N:** Please! I need prompts, or Shorties will stay dead! Forever!


	23. Babysitting Extraordinare

**A/N:** Wow, I feel so loved! Thank you to Moons-san, SparkleKitty07, rurouni007, i like pickles, and Formerly Known as Anon for providing prompts, and thank you to the ever-faithful Katsumara for reviewing (I will strive to cram Kataang into the smallest spaces)! And I'm glad I was able to crank this last fic out before vacation. I hope it is up to par with my wonderful readers!

**Prompt: Zuko. Aang. Crying Baby.**

**Requester: Formerly Known as Anon  
**

**Words: 484

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**

**Babysitting Extraordinare**

"UGH, Aang, MAKE IT STOP."

The airbender hastily made faces, trying to placate the upset child. "Look, look!" he pleaded with the infant, "Wook, i's mah tung!"

The baby squalled louder.

Zuko balled his fists in frustration. "You're only making it worse!"

Aang glanced up at the firebender helplessly. "You're the one who volunteered us to babysit while Sokka and Suki went on their vacation! And you're not even helping!"

Zuko pinched the bridge of his nose and tried to breathe his anger away, but the child continued to cry. "What do you think it wants?"

"_He_," Aang corrected vehemently, lifting the discontented baby boy into his arms. "And I don't have the slightest clue. _You're_ going to be a father in a couple months. You tell me."

Zuko waved his arms with irritation. "Just because my wife is pregnant doesn't mean I automatically know how to stop a baby from crying!"

"_Shh_," the airbender hissed, rocking the infant back and forth, to no avail. He leveled Zuko with a glare. "You're just upsetting him more by shouting."

"Ugh!" Zuko threw his arms in the air with exasperation as the boy's fussing heightened in pitch. Aang cringed as the blaring sound struck his ears painfully, and he place the child tenderly back into the cradle.

"This is not working," the airbender covered his ears. "There's got to be _some _way to get him to stop."

A loud chitter of anger erupted from the windowsill, and Momo poked his head out of Sokka's old Earth Kingdom bag, where he had been sleeping. The lemur's tail twitched with annoyance.

"We're _trying!_" Zuko insisted, his voice almost a wail.

Momo wrinkled his nose and hissed, as if to say, _Well, you aren't trying hard enough._

Aang pressed a finger against his temple. "We don't know what to do, Momo! If you're so annoyed, why don't _you_ come and help us?"

As if in response to Aang's challenge, Momo climbed out of the bag and launched himself into the air, gliding lazily in a circle and coming to land on the edge of the cradle.

Zuko glowered at the airbender. "Yelling at _him _is not going to get us anywhere!"

"Well, what do you suggest we do?" Aang retorted bitingly.

Zuko looked ready to smack his head against the wall. "I _don't know!_"

Suddenly, the crying stopped. Aang and Zuko whipped their heads toward the cradle, shocked. Sokka's baby boy blinked in bewilderment into Momo's wide green eyes, his breathing hitched, he hiccupped, and then was still.

Momo opened his little mouth in a wide yawn. Crawling into the cradle beside the baby boy, the lemur wasted no time. He curled up and went to sleep, the tip of his ringed tail tucked tightly over his nose. In a matter of moments, the infant's eyes were also closed, and he followed Momo's lead.

Aang and Zuko just stared.


	24. Legacy

**A/N:** Managed to write this while on vacation. Wasn't planning on it, but the inspiration struck me. Thank you to _Moons-san_, **i like pickles**, and _Katsumara_ for reviewing the last chapter. And thank you to **Formerly Known as Anon** and **me** for the reviews. And...a special shout-out to _mike50333 _for the awesomely-thorough review and two prompts.

**Prompt: **New Avatar—Northern/Southern Tribe? Related to Katara and/or Sokka?

**Requester: **Rurouni007—(Thank you! I threw you for a loop here, but I hope you enjoy it nonetheless!)

**Words:** 416

* * *

**Legacy**

Following Avatar Aang's long life and great accomplishments, no one expected his successor to live up to his legacy. When Toph, ages old and the last surviving member of Aang's original team, stepped upon the swampy soil of the new Avatar's birthplace, she wasn't particularly impressed.

The lanky teenager had just been informed of his status, and, having been brought up in the isolated wetlands of the southern Earth Kingdom, had no idea how big his world had gotten in mere seconds. He stared, open-mouthed, at the grizzled old earthbending master before him, uncertain of what to make of her. Her graying hair was piled atop her head, neatly arranged beneath a green and golden headband. Despite her age, she stood straight as a rail, her bare feet buried ankle-deep in the semi-solid, swampy sludge. Her sand-colored tunic was secured at the waist with a wide black belt, and reached down to her knees. Her ruddy breeches were loose and billowy, and already had a layer of sludge lining the bottom hem.

Toph snorted, lifting her chin to gaze sightlessly at her newest pupil, studying his minute vibrations with trained senses. Her jade eyes, though clouded, were piercing, and seemed to see through to his very soul. His posture, his heartbeat, his breathing—all had a unique signature, just like everyone else. He was strong, she could tell, but his strength was lopsided. The way he stood—his center of balance forward ever so slightly, indicated a high-stress lifestyle, hunting and roughing it in the dangerous swampland. His arms were muscled, but thin. His tousled hair was short, and his feet were calloused and tough from a lifetime of bare feet. His lungs were shallow, and his mind stalled occasionally as it tried to comprehend the massive changes that were taking place.

The boy swallowed, and a shudder passed through him. Toph recognized it as nerves. She smirked, and she sensed him react to the expression with even more uncertainty. Shifting his weight ever so slightly from one foot to the other, the boy waited in silence for her judgment.

Deep as she was in her assessment, Toph almost didn't feel the touch of the young maidservant at her arm, as if reminding her of the purpose of this visit. The metalbender waved her hand dismissively, and turned to leave, satisfied with her initial impression.

"He's no Twinkletoes. But one thing's for certain—he'll have the heart and soul of an earthbender when I'm finished with him."


	25. Down to Earth

**A/N:** Okay, I confess, this should not exactly be categorized as a shortie. Considering it's over seven pages long. But I still had a ton of fun with it. So there. Thanks to** SparkleKitty07**,** Katsumara**, **rurouni007**, **Formerly Known as Anon**, and **i like pickles **for reviewing the last shortie, and thank you to **skaterchick36 **for reviewing Chapter 1.

**Prompt: **Season 1 Zuko and the Gaang; trapped in a cave

**Requester: i like pickles—**(Warning: You may have gotten more than you bargained for. Or less. Depending on your viewpoint, of course.)

**Words:** 3,026

* * *

**Down to Earth**

"You've got to be kidding me."

Katara pressed two fingers to her temple and tried to hold back a groan. Crouching beside her, Sokka's eyes widened with skepticism. He shot a glance toward Aang, who kneeled behind the Water Tribe siblings, a sheepish look on his face.

"You're telling _me_," Sokka began, "That the only way to get through here," he pointed toward the steep mountainside before them, "Is through _that?_" His ice-blue gaze swept toward a tiny crevice in the rock face, just beside an enormous boulder. The warrior stared at it disdainfully.

"Yep," Aang replied brightly, with a grin.

Katara shot the airbender a look of frustration. "And we can't fly through the ravine on Appa _because…?_"

"The air is too thin up there for us," Aang explained. "Appa's lungs are adapted to breathe in high altitudes. I might be able to make it through, because I'm used to pretty thin air, but—" he hesitated.

Sokka held up a hand. "I get you. We sea-level people can't handle it, right?"

Aang shrugged helplessly.

"Well," the water tribesman stood, shouldering a hiking pack they had compiled from their supplies in Appa's saddle. "We'd better get going, then. Zuko's probably not far behind us now."

Katara and Aang fell in behind him as Sokka began to pick his way up and over the loose stones and scattered, sparse vegetation of the rocky hillside. The waterbender adjusted her pack and sighed. "I can't believe he's been on our heels ever since we left the river. I thought for sure he'd be delayed when his ship went over that waterfall."

Sokka settled into a longer stride, trying to cover more ground. "Never underestimate the power of angry-boy determination," he muttered bitterly.

* * *

Squeezing through the crevice in the cliff face was the easy part. Without a proper torch, the going was slow. Sokka tried to keep a blubber-soaked, makeshift lantern lit, but it burned out frequently in the musty, stale air, and oftentimes took a long time to re-light. They camped in a small cavern that branched off from the main cavern, eating what they could to lighten their load. Sometime the next morning, they continued on their way.

At about midday, Aang spotted the end of the tunnel. "We're almost through!" he exclaimed excitedly, and all at once, their pace quickened. Sokka took the lead, jogging briskly over cracks and loose stones, with his sister and the Avatar following closely at his heels.

They were less than a hundred meters from the cave entrance when the roar of rushing water camp upon them suddenly. Realizing what was before them, Aang lunged forward, grabbing onto Sokka's tunic and yanking him backwards just before he ran straight off a steep-sided embankment into the fast-flowing underground river.

Katara, standing at the airbender's shoulder, reached out reflexively and took Sokka by the arm, horrified at what had almost just happened. The warrior staggered backwards a few steps, staring open-mouthed at the cold abyss.

Aang blinked in bewilderment, stepping in front of his two friends to gape at the river. "Well, that wasn't here before."

"No kidding," Sokka remarked, his voice oddly squeaky with fright.

Aang's tongue stuck out of the corner of his mouth as he assessed the stream's width. "I bet I could jump over it," he said, testing the spring of the soil beneath his feet with bent knees.

"What about us?" Katara inquired, glancing worriedly across the expanse of water. "The water is moving too fast for me to try to freeze an ice bridge."

Aang stared sheepishly into the water. "If only I had brought my staff, we could fly across."

Sokka shook his head, bringing himself out of the shock of almost plunging headfirst into a freezing brook. He shouldered the bag he was carrying, and dropped it in a pile to the ground. "Take our stuff first, if you can, Aang. Then come back for Katara."

The airbender glanced quizzically at him. "What about you?"

Sokka looked to either end of the cavern, where the walls were split in natural tunnels, carving a pathway for the underground stream. "I'll scout along this side of the river and see if there's any way I can get across. I'll meet up with you."

Katara put her hands on her hips sternly. "We're not leaving you, Sokka."

"I can carry you," Aang insisted. "No problem."

The water tribesman glanced down toward the small airbender, noting their disparity in height and weight. He raised an eyebrow. "I don't want to do that to you, Aang. Just go. I'll—"

A menacing voice suddenly echoed through the cavern, cutting him off. "Going somewhere?" The trio spun around.

"Zuko," Katara's voice was full of contempt as she pulled an orb of water from her pouch, ready to defend herself and her friends, despite her limited skills.

The Fire Nation Prince stepped out of the shadows of the cave. He was flanked by two of his crewmen.

Sokka placed himself protectively in front of his sister and Aang, glaring at the firebender heatedly. "How did you find us?" he demanded.

Zuko crossed his arms and stared back just as fiercely. "It wasn't that hard," he reached into his armored vest and drew out a small brown sack. "You shouldn't leave your stuff lying around." The firebender tugged at the drawstring that held the sack closed, and drew out a thin piece of roasted meat.

"My seal jerky," Sokka confirmed, inwardly cursing himself, "I was wondering where that went."

Zuko replaced the meat and snapped the bag shut. "I have no time to chat with you, peasant. Now, hand over the Avatar."

"Yeah, like that's going to happen," Sokka shot back, falling into a fighting stance.

The crewmembers on either side of Zuko mirrored the warrior's stance with one of their own. "Get them," the Prince commanded, and his men wasted no time. They rushed forward, their lowered spears glinting threateningly in the low light.

In a panic, Katara threw her water forward haphazardly, striking the first man with a solid slap to the face. Aang surged forward to meet the other soldier, throwing him up and over his head in a gust of air. Though the airbender had only intended to toss the man off of his feet, he landed in the water, and the current sucked him downstream and out of sight.

While Katara's handiwork had stunned the first sailor, it didn't disable him, and he came at the trio again with more ferocity. Sokka stepped in front of his sister, drawing his machete as he went, and slashed hard at the man's spear. He missed the spearhead, catching the man's hand with his blade instead. The soldier dropped his spear with a shout of agony, clutching his injured hand to his chest. Sokka made as if to strike him again, and the man broke and ran.

With a simmering anger, Zuko shouted after his subordinate, his fists clenching with frustration. "Get back here, you coward!"

The sailor, lost in his own fear, continued running, and his frantic footsteps faded away into the darkness.

Seizing this brief moment of opportunity while the Prince was distracted, Aang grabbed Sokka and Katara by the arms and took a running leap toward the river, propelling himself and his friends upward in a hasty jump.

Sokka, realizing his friend's intentions, immediately resisted, shaking out of Aang's grip just as the airbender left the ground. The action sent the warrior tumbling down the bank, but he skidded to a stop just at the water's edge.

Fortunately for Aang and Katara, Sokka's reaction saved all of them from plunging into the swift river. Katara crashed onto the far bank, where her tunic caught on a shrub that kept her from falling into the water. Aang wasn't so lucky. He landed knee-deep in the water, and was sucked in up to his waist before he could catch hold of a protruding stone.

"Aang!" Katara was on her hands and knees in an instant, bracing herself against the steep bank with one hand. She leaned toward the airbender, holding her free hand outward.

Aang gripped the stone more firmly and lifted one hand. As Katara caught his hand in hers, the current caused her to slide forward, and she scrabbled at the bank, her eyes wide with fear. Aang settled deeper into the water. "Katara!" he cried, panicked.

The waterbender settled her boots deep into two muddy pockmarks in the embankment and reached out, grabbing Aang's other hand. With great effort and straining of muscles, she pulled the airbender out of the water and wrapped her arms protectively around him. Together, they scrambled away from the water's edge and lay panting on the bank.

After the initial adrenaline surge had passed, Katara sat up, glancing back across the river to where she last saw her brother. Sokka had picked his way upward toward the top of the embankment, and he stared across the water, his eyes wide with concern for his sister and friend.

"You guys okay?" the warrior shouted, cupping his hands around his mouth as he spoke.

Aang got to his knees beside Katara, still dripping wet, but otherwise unhurt. He blinked nervously. "Just fine!" the airbender replied, albeit a little shakily.

"Go on!" Sokka directed, waving his arm in an encouraging motion, "Find Appa and bring back your staff!"

Suddenly, a dark shadow fell over the warrior.

"Sokka, watch out!" Katara yelled, waving her arms frantically.

Before the water tribesman could even look up, Zuko was upon him. The Prince threw a blast of fire at the boy that knocked Sokka down the bank again, at the edge of the water. Zuko jumped down beside him, pinning the warrior down with a clenched hand against his neck.

"Sokka!" Katara screamed, drawing water from her pouch.

Her brother was not to be bested, however. With a well-placed kick to Zuko's knee, Sokka managed to both free himself and topple the unbalanced firebender into the stream. In a last desperate reaction, Zuko grabbed viciously onto Sokka's arm. The warrior lost his grip on the bank, and the current dragged both of them downstream, where they disappeared into the narrow opening of the underground river.

"Sokka!" Katara screamed again, her voice strained and high with utter terror. She got up, stumbling toward the bank.

"Katara, wait!" Aang followed her, tugging pleadingly at her sleeve. "You don't know what's down there! There could be—" but his friend wasn't listening.

The waterbender took a deep breath and dove into the water, her blue form vanishing into the blackness, much to Aang's dismay. The airbender grabbed one of their sacks of supplies and slung it over his shoulder. He hesitated at the edge of the water. He had no idea where this stream would lead, or whether his friends were even alive. Swallowing his fear, Aang held his breath and jumped, allowing the current to drag him into the earth.

* * *

The underground river resurfaced in a large natural cavern, lit only by a tiny hole in the stalactite-littered ceiling. The stone floor was rough, damp, and deposits of some sort of crystal were half-buried in several sections of rock. There was a thin layer of moss patched over the banks of the river, the speed of which had slowed down to a crawl as it wound its way through the cavern and disappeared into a larger tunnel.

When the stream tossed her onto the moss-covered banks, Katara pushed herself up, coughing and sputtering. She felt lightheaded and dizzy from lack of oxygen, but she gasped in the stale air of the cavern, and slowly her mind began to clear. She felt tentatively at a deep scrape on her arm, one she had acquired when her body had struck a rock on the way downstream.

A moment later, Aang washed up beside the waterbender, and he was in a similar state as her. He shoved the bag of supplies up out of the water as he gagged and coughed.

Katara got to her knees and glanced around, her spotted vision gradually adjusting to the dim light. Further downstream, she spotted a tangle of blue and black lying unmoving on the bank.

"Sokka!" Katara croaked, her throat sore and scratchy from swallowing so much water. She scrambled across the mossy earth, collapsing to her knees beside her brother. Dragging him off of an unconscious Zuko, she placed a hand on his chest, feeling for the water in his lungs.

Pulling the water out of Sokka's lungs, it wasn't long before Katara got her brother breathing again. He had a large round bump on his forehead, likely the cause of his unconsciousness. She propped him up against the nearest rock, trying to make him as comfortable as possible.

"What about Zuko?"

It was Aang's voice that startled her. She glanced in bewilderment at the unconscious Fire Nation youth lying face-down in the shallow water lapping the bank. She looked over her shoulder at the airbender quizzically. "Why?" she demanded, her eyes blazing with anger. "He got us into this mess!"

"That doesn't mean we're going to let him drown!" Aang protested, a flare of impatience entering his normally cheerful voice.

When Katara did nothing, the airbender stood to his feet, staggering over to where Zuko lay. With a grunt, Aang turned the firebender over, so he lay on his back. Then the airbender positioned himself at Zuko's head, slipping his arms under the firebender's shoulders and dragging him—with much slipping and grunting and groaning—out of the water.

Aang then placed a hand on Zuko's chest, and tried to copy Katara's motion. He drew a little water out of the firebender's lungs, but not enough to even make a difference. Trying again, he achieved the same effect. He was not yet anywhere close to proficient at waterbending. He glanced toward his friend pleadingly. "Help me, Katara. Please."

With a groan of impatience, Katara hurried over and drew the water from Zuko's lungs. "There," she finished flatly, flicking the last of the contaminated water over her shoulder. She then moved back to her brother's side, inspecting the bump on his head and trying in vain to revive him.

* * *

Sokka woke several hours later, with many complaints and groans about his aching head. Immediately after, most of Katara's earlier irritability was dispelled, and despite their desperate situation, she seemed to be in much better spirits.

"How do you think we can get out of here?" Katara gazed around the cavern her eyes pausing on the circle of light nearly twenty meters overhead.

"I bet I could jump up there," Aang offered.

"Oh-no," Sokka immediately shot down the idea. "No more jumping. Look how far that got us last time."

Aang sat back sulkily. "Well, what do _you _think we should do?"

Katara glanced sympathetically at the airbender before turning her gaze back toward the ceiling of the cavern. "Could we climb up there somehow?"

"I don't think so," Sokka shook his head, his ice blue eyes studying the surface of the rock skeptically. "The walls are too smooth, and if we fell, these stalagmites aren't much of a fluffy feather mattress to break our fall."

Katara sighed. "Even if we did find a way to get out," she glanced over her shoulder at Zuko's prone form. "What are we supposed to do with _him?_"

"Why can't we just leave him?" Sokka complained, rubbing the sort spot on his forehead. "After all, he's the one who caused us to get trapped down here."

Aang leveled the warrior with a cold stare. "We've already been over this, Sokka. We're not leaving him."

The water tribesman threw his arms in the air with exasperation. "But Aang, the guy has been trying to capture you since we left the South Pole! How can you side with him?"

The airbender regarded his friend pointedly. "Sokka, I had friends in the Fire Nation. They are no different from any other person from any other nation. Zuko was banished. I'm his only hope. Don't you think he has _some _good in him? We just have to find it."

Katara folded her arms over her chest, and her eyes narrowed doubtfully. She opened her mouth to reply, but the sudden sound of damp armor scraping against stone interrupted her.

"Hold on, he's waking up!" Sokka recoiled, scooting a couple inches toward Katara.

"Uhh," Zuko moaned, stirring again. He blinked in the dim light, his sight blurry and clouded. "Where am I?"

"You're in a cave," Sokka retorted bitterly. "A cave that we're all now stuck in, thanks to you."

In a burst of anger, Zuko pushed himself up to a sitting position, scowling dizzily as stars exploded in his eyes.

"Take it easy," Aang warned, "You bumped your head on the way down."

The firebender touched the swelling on his temple tenderly with the pads of his fingers. He winced. Shifting uncomfortably in his wet armor, he blinked confusedly at Aang and Katara. "What are you two doing here?"

Katara glared. "You didn't think we'd come after Sokka, after you dragged him into the river?"

"He knocked me in first!" the Prince protested, his damp clothes steaming with the heat of his anger.

Katara bristled. "Look here, you—"

Aang placed a hand on the waterbender's arm, cutting her off. "Guys, if we're going to find a way out of here, we have to _not _slit each other's throats, okay?"

Katara's fury didn't abate, but she recognized the airbender's logic, and backed down at his urging.

"Well," Sokka remarked sarcastically, "Once we're out of here, then can I kill him?"

Aang's eyes narrowed, but the warrior held up his hands innocently. "Hey, I was just kidding. Sheesh."

Zuko said nothing.

Sokka sighed, resting his chin in his hand. "I'm hungry," he complained.

Katara groaned. "Sokka," she reprimanded, "No food until you find us a way out of here."

"Hmph," the warrior sulked. Glancing toward the Prince, Sokka's eyes lit up suddenly. He jabbed an accusing finger toward Zuko.

"Do you still have my seal jerky?"

* * *

**A/N:** Okay, so the ending is questionably blah. You can assume whether they escaped or not. Maybe they didn't. Maybe they lived down their for the rest of their lives, scavenging for cave-hoppers and taking turns beating Zuko up. Or, maybe they made up, heroically escaped, and became BFFs. Only you can decide.


	26. In Spirit

**A/N:** OVER 100 REVIEWS! Thank you to all who contributed over the course of this story, and thank you to_ Katsumara, mike50333, _**i like pickles, cloudysunnyskie, **and **SwampFoxTheThird **for reviewing the last shortie.

**Prompt:** Guru Pathik and Monk Gyatso (**A/N: **I imagine that they are in their late teens at the time that this short takes place.)

**Requester: Sparklekitty07 **(You are awesome. Then again, I suppose I knew that from the beginning.)

**Words:** 470

* * *

**In Spirit, If Not in Mind**

"Gyatso, you're out of your mind."

A small-framed, dark-skinned boy stood atop a craggy cliff, silently allowing the wind to batter him until he rocked on his bare feet. With a gulp, he stared nervously over the edge.

Far below, winding its way over the floor of the canyon was a river. It flowed quickly and mercilessly, glinting harshly in the midmorning light like the blade of a sword. Spattered along its steep banks were scattered clumps of green vegetation—moss, shrubs, and even small trees. Lichen clung to the stones farther up the cliff side.

The boy swallowed around the lump in his throat. Suddenly, a flash of orange and gold whipped by, laughing uproariously as it went. Looping through the air once, the streak of color alighted alongside the dark-skinned boy, materializing into another young boy, light-skinned, with a gleam of teasing merriment in his eyes.

"Don't be such a wuss, Pathik!"

Pathik crossed his skinny arms, indignant. "I'm not an airbender. And I am not going to jump off of a cliff just because you did."

The other boy, Gyatso, exhaled impatiently. "I _told _you I'd catch you. It's really fun!"

Pathik shook his head and sighed, pain glittering in his eyes. "I came here to live with the monks because it was my father's dying wish. But just because I live with airbenders doesn't mean I have the fearlessness of one."

Gyatso spun his staff absentmindedly, knowing the conversation was edging toward a touchy subject. "Well, you're mother was an airbender, wasn't she? So you have the spirit in you. You just have to find it."

"Well," Pathik replied tartly, "I'd rather not find it by sky diving, thank you."

Gyatso chuckled. "Well you're not going to find it by sitting on your butt all day. Come on, just a little fly?"

"No," Pathik refused flatly.

"What, so are you going to walk back to the temple?" Gyatso's gaze glinted deviously.

Pathik glared. "You know it's impossible to get to an Air Temple on foot. Where did your bison go?"

The mischievous expression didn't leave Gyatso's face. "I sent her back home to eat. You know she'll be having her calves soon. I didn't want her to overexert herself."

"So you've stranded me," Pathik scowled.

"I'm still here," Gyatso sang teasingly, spinning his staff around and releasing the lock on the wings so they popped into place.

Pathik groaned. "Remind me why we're friends?"

Gyatso grinned wolfishly, slinging the instrument over his shoulders and positioning it for flight. "You know you love me. Admit it, you've been wanting to fly since you first saw a glider."

Pathik glowered as he stepped around Gyatso, curling his fingers tightly over the lightweight wood of staff's frame. "When we get back to the temple, I'm going to kill you."

* * *

**A/N:** This idea sure got me thinking. Pathik probably has an entire backstory that was never touched upon in the series. Yay for fanfiction.


	27. Lecture of a Lifetime

**A/N:** Thank you to _Katsumara, mike50333, broom over bubble, balseirocharmed, _**SwampFoxTheThird,**_Moons-san, _and **cloudysunnyskie** for reviewing the last chapter.

**Prompt: **Sokka giving Aang the 'big brother' talk about Katara

**Requestor: cloudysunnyskie**

**Words: **668

* * *

**Lecture of a Lifetime**

Toph's whistle alerted Sokka and sucked his thoughts away from the task at hand.

"Would you look at _them._"

The water tribesman glanced up from his painting irritably, ready to tell her off for breaking his concentration. "Toph, how many times to I have to—" he trailed off, staring toward the subject of the earthbender's focus with open-mouthed disbelief. "_What _are they doing?"

Suki, sitting on a floor cushion a little ways away, glanced up when she heard the commotion. Her eyes settled on the cause, and her eyes lit up in an amused smirk. "Looks to me like they're having a great time."

Sokka stood up so quickly that he knocked his chair over backwards, but it wasn't his chair he was concerned with. It was the lip-locked partners standing out on the balcony. Grabbing his crutch, the warrior hobbled around the table and to the archway leading to the balcony.

"_Katara!_"

The aforementioned pair broke off their kiss suddenly, their cheeks flushing a bright pink as they distanced themselves from each other.

"I…I-I…" the waterbender stuttered, completely at a loss for words.

Aang's eyes were wide with something akin to fear, but he stepped in front of Katara protectively. "It was my fault, Sokka."

"Darn right!" The water tribesman leveled the airbender with a glare. "Aang, I need to talk to you. Over here. Now." With that, Sokka spun around, stalking away as nobly as possible with his crutch tucked under his arm, and beckoning the Avatar to follow him. Aang glanced helplessly at Katara, who shrugged, a blush still coloring her face.

"Aang!" Sokka's peeved tone slashed right to the core of Aang's mind, and his imagination immediately bombarded him with visions of horrible punishments and evil pranks echoing with Sokka's maniacal laugh. He gulped.

From where she stood just inside, Toph crossed her arms. The airbender's heartbeat was pounding spasmodically. "Twinkletoes," she waved her arms, a hint of a smirk hovering in her expression, "You better go."

Aang bit his lip in reply, but after a moment, he squared his shoulders. He would face Sokka like a man. After all he had been through, running from pirates and Fire Nation captors, losing his people and losing Appa, facing bad guys and fighting Ozai, how hard could it be? But… The airbender's eyes suddenly glazed over, and he swallowed the bile that rose in his throat. This was _Sokka, _after all.

"Aang, he's waiting." It was Suki's voice this time, in a strained note that he guessed was intended to be encouraging.

"I'm going, I'm going," the airbender snapped out of his reverie. With a fearful blink toward his friends, the airbender hurried off after the warrior, his heart pounding in his ears.

When Aang shut the Jasmine Dragon's kitchen door behind him, he was struggling in vain to prepare himself for the lecture of his life. Sokka stood opposite of him, leaning against the windowsill that lit the room. A harsh orange hue, darkening to crimson in the shadows, spread over the walls, cabinets, and furniture, making Aang uneasy. The colors reminded him of blood and fire. The airbender swallowed carefully, and, fighting down a wave of nausea, looked expectantly up at his friend.

Sokka gazed out the window, looking upon the landscape with a stern expression on his face, observing silently as the dying sun lay down to rest. His blue eyes burned as he turned to glower seriously at the airbender, and he opened his mouth to speak. "Aang…" he began.

The Avatar tried to keep himself from trembling, but it was no use. Sokka crossed his arms.

The airbender waited.

To Aang's utter surprise, the warrior's anger broke, and dissipated in a wave. Aang felt the heat as it left his elder friend.

"Look, you know I'm not good at this 'advice' thing."

The airbender blinked. "So…'stay away from my sister'?"

The warrior sighed. "Something like that." He turned to glower half-heartedly out the window again. "Just tell Katara I chewed you out and you can never talk to each other again." Sokka glanced at the airbender pointedly.

Aang's lips twitched upward. "Yes, sir."

* * *

**A/N:** A little...different. If you want yet _another _take on this same idea, _see From The Heart, chapter 19: Brother On Guard_.

**Toph:** Well, have fun writing this topic into the ground.

**Katara: **What, Toph, you aren't entertained by the concept of Aang and I?

**Toph: **No comment.


	28. Leave it at That

**A/N: **Thank you to _balseirocharmed, Katsumara, Wickid Jennie, YHWHsAceOfBlades, _and **cloudysunnieskie **for reviewing the last chapter.

**Prompt:** Sokka; better boyfriend

**Requester: **Moons-san

**Words:** 375

* * *

**Leave it at That**

"Sokka is _so _a better boyfriend, Mai. Zuko just can't compare."

Mai twitched with protest. Straightening ever so slightly, she twisted her chin to level a glitteringly cold stare at Suki. The tightening of her lips was barely perceptible, but the show of emotion was unusual enough for Mai, and perked the Kyoshi Warrior's interest in the argument.

"What would _you _know about Zuko as a boyfriend?" Mai's gaze was impassive again, but in her tone had seeped the slightest hint of strain, letting Suki know she had hit a nerve.

"Oh nothing," Suki's voice had a teasing lilt to it, and she crossed her arms, leaning against the doorframe with a smirk.

With complete composure, Mai stood up and faced the Kyoshi Warrior. "What exactly gives you the impression that Sokka is such a great boyfriend?" The noblewoman allowed herself the barest hint of a smile. _Two can play this game. _

Accepting the challenge, Suki tilted her head, her eyes narrowing. "Sokka is loyal, strong, smart, wise enough to give me space when I need it, yet still willing to be with me all day long. We talk, and not just small talk. We talk about significant things and how they affect us."

Mai couldn't help a sniff of dry laughter. "Is that all?"

Suki placed her hands on her hips. "Oh, like Zuko is any better? What do you two do for fun? Order servants around and eat fruit tarts?"

The young noblewoman bristled. "Zuko _always _makes time for me. He is sweet and kind and always does what he thinks is best for me."

"So does Sokka," Suki insisted. "One thing Sokka has that Zuko doesn't—a sense of humor."

"There is more than one type of 'humor'," Mai countered flatly. "Injuring yourself periodically and habitually saying stupid things hardly counts as humor. Zuko only uses humor when it is appropriate. Although he has been hanging out with Sokka a little too much lately."

It was Suki's turn to simmer. "Are you suggesting that Sokka is a _bad influence?_"

"Pretty much," Mai replied, folding her hands into her billowy sleeves.

Suki opened her mouth to protest, but something stopped her. She closed her mouth, blinking. Turning away, she crossed her arms.

"Touché."

* * *

**A/N:** Lame, I know. Another version I was playing with got way out of hand and unbelievable. I decided just to keep this one simple.


	29. The Visit

**A/N: **Okay, I will officially admit that Shorties is distracting me from finishing We Meet Again. Not that I'm complaining…

Thank you to _balseirocharmed, Moons-san, Katsumara, _and **godofcherrypie **for reviewing the last shortie, and thank you to **unfinished melodies **for reviewing Shortie 6.

**Prompt: **_Someone_ running into Jun (I eliminated the first person's name to preserve the mystery of the one-shot until the end)

**Requester: **SwampFoxTheThird (Just amazing…)

**Words: 950

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**

**The Visit  
**

The cloaked figure strode briskly down the unpaved Earth Kingdom highway, two slim leather traveling boots thudding soundlessly against the ground. The sky was tinged orange, an obvious sign that the day was coming to an end. Along the road, the figure's footsteps became longer, covering ground more quickly, well aware of the dangers of being caught alone in the countryside at night.

The boots moved faster, sending up protesting puffs of dust in their wake. Tucked into the knee-high chaps strapped to the boots was a pair of breeches, faded to a dull beige color. The thin waistline of the breeches was smoothed down by the bottom hem of a collared blouse, and a loose-fitting tunic was wrapped delicately around the woman's shoulders. The cloak was light, but reached almost to the ankles. With billowy sleeves and a sharply concealing hood, it gave the wearer a mysterious appearance.

So, of course, everyone in the small town noticed the strange newcomer.

The woman covered the lower half of her face with an opaque veil made out of a dark cloth. Her eyes gleamed amber in the dimming light, and there was a hard glint in them that deterred any of the townspeople from approaching her. Men and women stopped what they were doing and openly stared. A young girl ran across the street, skirting the foreigner like she was some sort of plague. An old man leading a tired ostrich-horse came to a halt in the middle of the avenue, glancing curiously at the cloaked woman. She crossed to the opposite side of the street, avoiding them.

The woman pulled her hood further down over her eyes. _So much for inconspicuous, _she sighed inwardly.

The traveling boots came to a stop in front of a small tavern, and dust rose around them before settling down. Below the tavern's plaque hung a wooden sign. Carved crudely into it were several characters that read: 'No shirshus allowed in the vicinity.'

The woman smirked. This was definitely the place.

Moving purposefully up the steps and through the tavern doors, the woman emerged into a near-empty room. Scanning the environment with her sharp golden gaze, she quickly noted several things that were typical of taverns in this area of the Earth Kingdom. Along the opposite wall was a long counter lined with barstools. Behind it, the bored bartender perked up at the sight of the newcomer, and happily prepared himself to make anything the customer desired. Small four-person tables were scattered here and there, amidst a few large gambling tables where men and women would come to drink and play games. The floor was composed of sturdy wooden planks, fitted together to form a smooth, even surface. Lanterns hung at intervals along the walls and in the center of the large tables.

A group of three men sat clustered in a corner, talking in low tones and sipping on foaming beverages. On the opposite end of the room, a tough-looking woman sat at a two-person table, leaning back in her chair and fingering her half-filled glass absentmindedly. Her brown eyes were emotionless and her face was blank. She wore a sleeveless tunic, exposing a blood-colored dragon tattoo on her right shoulder.

_Jun. _

The bartender watched as the foreigner made her way over to Jun's table, taking a seat across from her. He shook his head sadly as he beheld the discontented young woman. It was a shame, a real shame. He turned away, busying himself with a cleaning rag. He scrubbed determinedly at nonexistent spills on the counter.

Jun looked up as the cloaked figure sat across from her, and her expression hardened. "What do you want?" she demanded, drawing herself up in her seat.

The woman pulled down her veil, exposing the rest of her pale face. Then, carefully, she tugged the hood off of her head, allowing it to drop to her shoulders.

"Don't tell me," Jun set her drink down on the table with a clink, studying the younger woman's golden eyes suspiciously. "Angry boy sent you."

The woman sat impassively before her. "You could say that."

"Figures," Jun muttered darkly, crossing her arms over her chest. "After all Nyla and I did for him, too."

"He sends his condolences regarding your shirshu," the foreigner replied, curling her gloved hands delicately in her lap. "He's sorry for your loss."

In a sudden burst of annoyance, Jun leveled a glare at the girl. "Why would he care?"

The stranger crossed one leg over the other, pulling a glove off of her hand and inspecting her fingernails nonchalantly. "If it weren't for you and Nyla, things could have been very different at the comet. He and all his friends are in your debt." The woman took a slip of parchment from her sleeve and placed it face-down on the table. "Hopefully this can help."

With that, the foreigner pushed her chair back and stood up.

Not taking her eyes off of the woman, Jun reached forward, took the piece of paper, and unfolded it. Glancing down, she stared incredulously at the characters embroidered neatly there. Holding it up, she glanced toward the woman, her eyes narrowed. "This is a coupon for _tea_. Who does he think I am?"

The stranger shrugged. "Apparently it's his way of thanking you."

Jun folded the parchment and stuck it into the folds of her black tunic. She then crossed her arms and stared curiously at the woman across from her. "Who are you, anyway?"

The stranger replaced the veil over her nose and pulled the hood back up over her ears, preparing to leave. She met Jun's gaze with one of her own.

"My name is Mai."

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**A/N:** If you haven't guessed by now…yes, the other character is Mai. Virtual chocolate ice cream to all who review.


	30. Everything is Connected

**A/N**: Thank you to _Katsumara, balseirocharmed, SparkleKitty07, SwampFoxTheThird, catstop, mike50333, Elvenstar Imrahil_, **Formerly Known As Anon, **and **cloudysunnyskie **for reviewing the last shortie, and thank you to _kataangloverforeverx _for reviewing Shortie 1.

**Prompt: **Katara, Mai, Ty Lee, and Toph 'bonding' in a Fire Nation market _(changed to Ba Sing Se's market because in a smaller market town they would be more easily recognized, and thus probably mobbed before they could do any actual shopping.)_

**Requester: Wikid Jennie** (Thanks so much! I hope I exceeded your expectations? Met them, maybe?)

**Words: **821

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**Everything is Connected**

"So, Sugar Queen…"

Katara stopped short, her fingers curling more tightly around the empty basket she held. Toph halted abruptly behind her, a smirk playing around her features. They were in the middle of Ba Sing Se's crowded marketplace, dressed in the neutral greens and browns of the Earth Kingdom to better disguise their identities. They both wore conical bamboo hats to shield their faces, but Toph's teasing grin radiated from her more brilliantly than a simple smile. It permeated her entire demeanor, the way she stood, the angle at which she held her head, and how she let her arms swing loosely by her sides.

"I know what this is going to be about, Toph, and I just don't want to hear it. It's none of your business."

The earthbender soured, crossing her arms. "Actually, I _was _going to ask you what you thought about Ty Lee's doting over Sokka lately, but we can discuss Aang too, if you prefer."

Mentally slapping herself, Katara turned around to face her friend, frowning. "Oh—w-well, I hadn't really thought much of it, actually. Ty Lee's just…bubbly. With everyone."

"She bubbles in other places for him," Toph retorted with a smug smile.

"Oh, gross, Toph," Katara covered her eyes with her free hand, disgusted. "I _really _didn't need to know that. Anyway, shush," the waterbender glanced over her shoulder, scanning the various kiosks and shops that lined the narrow street. She spotted two familiar heads emerging from one of the shops, and raised her hand to wave them over. "Here they come."

Ty Lee's expression was somewhat muted, probably due partially to the fact that her Kyoshi uniform had been swapped with a dingy tan tunic and breeches, and she hadn't been allowed to wear pink in days. Her vibrations betrayed the way she was heavier on her feet than usual, but Toph couldn't understand her sadness. Mai, on the other hand, seemed quite content in her pale green and tan robes, striding with an air of nobility beside her acrobatic friend.

Katara greeted them with a smile. "Did you find it?"

Mai shook her head, tucking her hands serenely into her sleeves. "Not a leaf."

The waterbender sighed. "Well, I suppose we'll have to keep looking then."

Ty Lee exhaled dramatically. "You'd think it wouldn't be that difficult to find cabbage in a marketplace this big—"

Katara shrugged as she started moving, leading their little group through the heaving mass of people. "Cabbages aren't in season," she said resignedly.

Ty Lee kicked sulkily at the dusk as she walked. "Well, your cabbage stew is _never _out of season, Katara. It's good any time of year."

The waterbender smiled. "Thanks. I already knew they'd be hard to find, but I expected at least _someone _to be selling them."

The girls lapsed out of conversation for a moment, allowing the loud murmur of the crowd to fill the silence. Katara wove her way through and around the people, and the others followed at her heels, three pairs of eyes and one pair of feet searching for anything that resembled a cabbage kiosk.

Toph suddenly cleared her throat, and her companions turned to glance at her as she spoke. "Whatever happened to that cabbage merchant we kept running into?"

Katara smiled. "Oh yeah, we haven't seen him in a while." She made a face. "Where is he when we need him, anyway?"

Suddenly, Ty Lee lit up. "You said Aang was always the one to destroy his cart, right?" the acrobat piped, her eyes gleaming.

Katara shrugged. "Well, there was that one time in Full Moon Bay…"

Ty Lee interrupted her. "But Aang was there with you at Full Moon Bay, right?"

"Yeah," Toph answered, "Duh."

"Then he must be the key!"

Katara, Toph, and Mai regarded her strangely. Katara blinked. "What do you mean?" she asked.

Despite their unenthusiastic expressions, Ty Lee clasped her hands together, excited at her discovery. "He and this cabbage merchant must be connected somehow. Like twins, only on a more cosmic level. Everywhere you guys go, he eventually showed up, right?"

Katara raised an eyebrow. "Up until we had to go undercover In the Fire Nation after Aang—" she paused, "—blocked his chakra." She crossed her arms. "We haven't seen him since."

Ty Lee was practically bouncing up and down with excitement. "That was the connection! His spiritual connection with the cabbage merchant was lost when he blocked his chakra. Maybe we can get it working again. Come on!" She tugged on Mai and Katara's sleeves, pulling them back in the direction they had come from, the Jasmine Dragon in the Upper Ring.

Toph laughed to herself as Ty Lee practically dragged her skeptic friends up the street.

"Oh, Twinkletoes…" the earthbender chuckled, imagining Aang's reaction to Ty Lee's proposal, "How you can make a simple shopping trip into an intense spiritual journey, I'll never know."

* * *

**A/N:** Okay, now that I think about it more thoroughly, this is less of a _bonding _ficlet and more of a plotbunny ficlet. I hope you enjoyed it anyway? You didn't? Oh. Well review and tell me how horrible it was.


	31. Unexpectedly Undercover

**A/N:**When I received this prompt, I got a strong vibe that it was meant to be a romantic prompt. Welp, as usual, it completely _did not _turn out like it was intended. I seriously wrote this in like, ten minutes. I love the inspiration that just hits you head-on, like a freight train. Get's that adrenaline (i.e. epinephrine, for those techno-jargonators out there) pumpin'! It's so awesome.

Anyway, thank you to _mike50333, Katsumara, Wikid Jennie, Elvenstar Imrahil, SparkleKitty07, _and the most amazing _balseirocharmed _for reviewing the last short.

Lastly, this short is post-war. No definite time span. Use your brilliant imaginations!

**Prompt: **Aang and Katara; competition

**Requester: Balseirocharmed** (You are awesome—so many good requests!)

**Words: **461

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**Unexpectedly Undercover**

"Hey Katara, look!" Aang pointed excitedly to a poster that hung on a bulletin board in the center of the square. Several scattered shoppers, browsing the kiosks on the far edges of the spacious gathering **center**, glanced curiously his way, wondering what all the commotion was about.

"_Shhh, _Aang!" Katara whispered, quickly hushing the airbender, "Remember, we're in _disguise. _We don't want to draw attention to ourselves."

Aang quieted immediately, tugging absentmindedly at the headband covering the tip of his arrow and the back of his neck. "Oh, right." The airbender's voice suddenly got louder as he waved dismissively to the bystanders that had turned to stare at him. "Carry on, people! Nothing to see here!"

Exasperated, Katara grabbed her friend's arm and dragged him, half-stumbling, to the bulletin board where he had pointed. She turned him around a little more roughly than she probably intended.

"_Aang,_" she chastised in a stern tone of voice, "You _know _how important this mission is. Zuko worked really hard to get that cover story up and running. You were heading to the Earth Kingdom on a diplomatic mission, and would be out of the country for several months. We're supposed to be on the lookout for dissension and underground rebellion. We can't do that if you blow your cover, okay?"

"Hey," the airbender protested, pointing to the thick layer of dark hair covering the majority of his arrow, "I worked for weeks on this hair before we left. It's not traditional. I hated it enough the first time. I'm doing my best."

Katara crossed her arms, sighing. "All right," she glanced toward the bulletin board. "What did you want to show me, anyway?"

Glad to be rid of the serious conversation, Aang pointed to a colorful advertisement that was posted in the top right-hand corner of the board. "It's some sort of competition, going to be held in the Yuki Theatre tonight. Can we go? Please?"

Katara's eyes narrowed, and she squinted to read the small print on the poster. "It says 'Spelling Bee.' That doesn't sound very exciting."

"Oh, come on," Aang whined, tugging childishly on her sleeve. "If we want to be effective spies, we have to be involved inconspicuously in our community! This is a perfect event."

Katara shrugged out of his grip, rolling her eyes even as she gave in. "Whatever."

The waterbender peered toward the ad again. "It says it starts two hours before dusk. That gives us enough time to go home and eat before we head over there."

"Yay!" Aang performed a little hop of excitement, clapping his hands together.

Katara eyed him woefully, and placed a comforting hand on the airbender's shoulder. "I guess it's good we got away—you've been hanging around Sokka too much."

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**A/N**: You know what I love? Ice cream. You know what I love even more? Reviews. Actually-I probably love ice cream more. But that's not the point! Please grace me with your opinions!


	32. Old Frienemies

**A/N:** Here's a holiday short especially for you awesome people. Merry Christmas everybody! Praise God, for unto us a Savior is born this day!

**Prompt: **The Cabbage Merchant Complaining to Aang

**Requester: balseirocharmed**

**Words: **1,467

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**Old Frienemies**

The marketplace of Ba Sing Se's lower ring was bustling with people, and the murmur of quiet conversation hung in the still morning air. It was the day before the winter solstice, and the middle and lower class residents of the Earth Kingdom city were up bright and early to prepare for the celebration that was to be held the next day. This early in the morning, the masses were unusually quiet, and people passed each other in the street with silent smiles or soft murmured greetings.

Streaks of gold in the rosy sky preceded the arrival of the sun, and as he wove his way down the avenue and through the crowds, Aang tugged the brim of his conical straw hat low over his brow, trying to resist the urge to stop and gaze at the beautiful canvas the spirits had created for the world this morning. He was dressed in an inconspicuous brown tunic and breeches, the typical garb for a poor indentured servant that had migrated to the region.

Keeping pace with him, Katara carefully maneuvered through the throng, her tan robe swishing around her ankles. Cautiously aware of the quiet atmosphere, she directed Aang's steps with an occasional gesture as they scanned the vendors on either side of the street.

Something caught Katara's eye, a little kiosk set up beside the doorway of a fruit shop. Blinking, her eyes settled on its small wooden frame, and the green vegetables that were piled high upon it, tinged slightly brown at the edges. It was instantly familiar, and upon seeing the man who stood faithfully by the little cart, recognition leapt to her blue eyes. She touched Aang's arm, softly taking his sleeve in her fingertips as she pointed with the other hand.

The airbender followed her gaze, and when his eye caught what she had been pointing at, he grinned. Leaning toward Katara's ear, he whispered, "I guess Ty Lee was right."

The waterbender smiled, pressing several copper pieces into Aang's hand and jerking her chin toward the cabbage stand. "Get as many as this will buy."

"Where will you be?" Aang whined, staring at the copper coins in his open palm. He was disquieted that she was leaving him to face this old acquaintance alone.

"_Shh,_" Katara urged, when a passerby shot a bemused glance at them over his shoulder. When she spoke again, her voice was hushed. "I need to run by the butcher shop to pick up the lamb-pig I ordered for tomorrow's meal. Would you rather…?"

Aang immediately backed off when he felt his stomach qualm. "Point taken," he swallowed, wrapping his fist around the money she had given him.

Katara smiled, giving him an encouraging shove in the direction of the cabbage kiosk. "I'll meet you back here in ten minutes, okay?"

The airbender nodded, and watched as she turned away, her long braid swinging slightly as she made her way across the street and was swallowed by the crowd.

With a heaving sigh, Aang wriggled in between two women who were blocking his path, lengthening his stride as he got closer to the cabbage stand. Carefully maneuvering around a young boy who was running down the street to catch up with his mother, Aang continued on his way, drawing closer to the man from his past. As he approached, the gray-haired old cabbage merchant straightened his green tunic and his little brimless hat, smiling broadly at his prospective customer in earnest.

Aang swallowed the lump in his throat and took two deep breaths to calm his nerves as he came to stand alongside the little kiosk, glancing over the cabbages to express his interest before he addressed the merchant directly.

"Hello sir!" the airbender met the man's hazel eyes and bowed his head in greeting. "How much do your cabbages sell for?"

"Two heads for a copper piece, lad," the vendor replied, his salesman smile still plastered on his face.

"All right," Aang glanced down, fingering the money he held. There were four pieces. "I'll take eight heads, please." He held the coins toward the man.

"You're not one of my usual customers," the cabbage merchant observed as he accepted the money, the salesman grin still hanging about his features. "Are you visiting family for the solstice?"

"Visiting friends," Aang replied, conscientiously tugging at his hat.

"Eight heads would feed quiet a large group," the cabbage man went on as he began counting out the produce. Stopping when he held four cabbages in his arms, he glanced at Aang and asked, "Would you like a crate to carry them in? I normally sell them for two copper pieces, but since it's the eve of the solstice, I'll give it to you for free."

"Yes, sir," Aang replied with an appreciative nod, "Thank you, sir."

"Anything for an honest fellow," the cabbage man returned, smiling his salesman smile. The wrinkles in the old man's face deepened as he pulled a small crate from the top of his cart and began loading the cabbages into it. "You know," he began conversationally, "Did you know I used to sell cabbages in Omashu?"

"Really?" Aang quirked an eyebrow, trying to sound impressed.

"Yep," the cabbage man affirmed with a self-righteous little twitch of his lips. "I even once visited the court of the king of Omashu, after Avatar Aang smashed my poor little kiosk with a mail cart."

"Oh?" Aang fought to keep himself from smiling.

"You don't believe me, do you?" the cabbage merchant let out a strained little laugh. "Not that I expected you to." He placed the last cabbage carefully into the crate and hoisted it up by the two little handles on either side. "It took me almost a year to rebuild my cart and get out of Omashu."

Aang took the crate from him with a grateful smile. "Where did you go from there?"

Intrigued that the customer was taking an interest in his story, the cabbage merchant pressed on. "Oh, a smorgasbord of places. I ran into the Avatar two more times that year, once at a port on the northwestern portion of the Earth Kingdom, and again at Full Moon Bay on my journey to Ba Sing Se." His expression sobered, and a solemn gleam flashed in his eyes. "My cabbages weren't allowed on the ferry, but luckily I was able to smuggle bits and pieces of my cart, which I was able to rebuild once I arrived. I've been here ever since."

"Wow," Aang hummed, pretending to be enthused. Then, a thought piqued the airbender's curiosity, and he smiled inwardly as he voiced the question. "Do you think you'll ever run into the Avatar again?"

The merchant sniffed smugly. "Spirits, I hope not. The kid's accident prone, he is. You're probably too young to very well remember Sozin's Comet" –at this Aang raised his eyebrows—"but it took the young Avatar quite a long time to get the world back in order. It's a wonder he ever did."

Shifting his weight to snuff down the flare of anger that rose in his chest, Aang shrugged. "Well, he _was _only twelve. Don't you think that's a lot of responsibility to put on someone?"

The cabbage merchant shrugged. "I call them as I see them, kid. The war was bad for my business, people invested more in weapons than cabbages, at least everywhere I went. So I suppose it's a good thing that the Avatar pulled through. I just hope he doesn't come within fifty meters of my cabbages ever again."

Aang shrugged, hefting the crate to carry it in the crook of his right arm. "Well, you never know, sir. He might be closer than you think."

The cabbage merchant emitted a snuffle of skeptical laughter.

"Aang!"

The soft call caught the attention of both men, and the airbender glanced over his shoulder to see Katara making her way towards them, carrying a box in her arms, which was presumably the lamb-pig.

The cabbage merchant's eyes narrowed in faint recognition as he met the waterbender's crystal-blue gaze. "Is that…?" He turned to stare at Aang quizzically, and the Avatar reddened with horror.

Tipping his hat, Aang bowed with his head down to hide his flushed face. "Thank you for the cabbages. Happy Solstice!"

Turning away quickly, the airbender joined Katara in the middle of the avenue, and they turned to walk up the street together.

The cabbage merchant stared after them, and, catching a glimpse of a blue tattoo between the boy's collar and the brim of his hat, whistled to himself.

"Could it be…?" the old man rubbed his eyes in disbelief, but by then the pair had disappeared into the horde. "Naw," he decided.

"My old eyes must be playin' tricks on me."

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**A/N:** I know it's Christmas Eve, but reviews are still as lovely as God's sunrise. :)


	33. Of Cats and Avatars

**A/N:** This one is interesting…I suppose. I guess you can find out.

**Prompt: **Song running into The Herbalist from The Blue Spirit

**Requester: SwampFoxTheThird**

**Words: 1,031**

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**Of Cats and Avatars**

A loud rap on her bedroom door awoke her, and her mother's voice resonated from the hallway.

"Song! We have an injured woman here, she needs help, hurry!"

At the sound of her mother's urgent voice, Song sat up on her straw mat with a start. Grabbing her robe, which hung on a hook mounted on the wall just above her mat, Song leapt upright, throwing the garment about her shoulders and securing the sash with nimble fingers.

Half a minute later she had thrown her door open and entered the foremost atrium of her family's home, where she and her mother conducted their business as village healers. Closing her bedroom door softly behind her, Song blinked as her eyes adjusted to the bright light of the oil lamp that her mother had placed on a small table in the center of the room. With mild shock, she noticed that the sky outside was still pitch black. This was obviously not a normal run-of-the-mill injury, if the woman had come to them in the middle of the night.

Striding quickly into the room, Song caught sight of her mother, gray hair thrown up haphazardly in an untidy bun, with her robe slightly askew and her feet bare. Behind her, on the wooden bench they used for their patients, an ancient creature sat, shoulders hunched forward from age and disheveled silver hair clutching a thoroughly miserable-looking Persian cat in her arms. One of her sleeves was completely burnt away, leaving the blackened edges of the fabric clinging to the blistered skin of her shoulder.

"Song!" her mother barked, without even turning around to look at her daughter, "Get me the calendula cream, top shelf on the left. Quickly!"

Song turned toward the large wooden cabinet that was on the back wall of the atrium. They always kept it locked at night, to prevent thieves from stealing their supplies. Song kept the key in the inside breast pocket of her robe, and immediately she pulled it out, inserting the cold brass instrument into the lock and giving it a hasty twist. The gears snapped aside and the cabinet opened.

"Comfrey leaf would be better," a raspy voice interrupted, causing Song to pause. She glanced over her shoulder.

The old woman was looking at her. Song was surprised to see that the pain in her green eyes was overshadowed by a gleam that only the knowledge and experience of old age can bring to a person's gaze. "If you have it, dearie."

Song glanced hesitantly toward her mother, knowing the woman was right, but sorry that she couldn't comply with the request.

Song's mother patted the woman's shriveled hand apologetically. "We don't have comfrey, I'm sorry. It's very scarce this time of year." She glanced at her daughter. "Calendula cream, Song, go ahead."

The girl obeyed her mother's orders promptly.

While Song dutifully applied a warm, clean cloth to the woman's injured shoulder, her mother began to talk, to make conversation with the old woman and take her mind off of the pain.

"So, you're a healer, are you?" the middle-aged woman asked, brushing a stray lock of hair out of her eyes. "Where are you from?"

The old woman winced slightly as the cream made contact with her burnt skin, but she swallowed the pain and stroked her cat with her uninjured arm. The animal opened its pink mouth in a wide yawn, green eyes flashing. Smiling, the old woman lifted her gaze and began her story. "I was born in the city of Guo, and I lived there for many years, until the Fire Nation came and drove my people out when I was twenty-four years old. They raided and ransacked every house—both of my parents were killed. The people who did not die scattered, fleeing across the countryside. I took shelter in an herbalist institute that my mother had visited often. The city of Guo was built into the mountainsides, bordering a river, and the Fire Nation determined it wasn't worth defending, so they left soon after our people were driven out. I had nowhere to go, so I decided to stay with the herbalists, learn their trade."

The old woman winced as Song dabbed deftly at her shoulder with the calendula cream, slathering it with the cold concoction to soothe the burns. The ancient cat mewed restlessly in her lap, the tip of its tail twitching.

"How long did you stay with the herbalists?" Song's mother pressed after a moment of silence, a friendly, conversational lilt to her tone.

"I never left the mountain," the old woman replied, her eyes distant. "One by one my friends and teachers left, unable to handle the pressure of being so close to the front lines." The woman's eyes focused for the first time, staring hard at Song. "We could hear the Fire Nation attacking the cities around us, and eventually they conquered the whole area. Why they left us alone, I'll never know, because we aided every Earth Kingdom solider that passed through our doors. I guess the peace wasn't meant to last, though…" Absentmindedly, the woman stroked her cat behind the sooty ears. "The men that came—a man with the face of a monkey and his lackeys—told me I was charged with aiding the Avatar and sentenced to death. Funny, I never remember meeting an Avatar. Last person that came to me was some little boy looking for medicine for his sick friends—certainly no Avatar. But they locked me in the building and set fire to it anyway—luckily they didn't know about the secret exit—a tunnel through a trapdoor under the rug."

The old woman chuckled to herself, and the cat in her lap arched its back, yawning. She patted the creature's neck appreciatively, and spoke to Song's mother. "My best friend, Ai, gave me Miyuki here when she left, she always said she was a lucky cat."

Song secured the bandages she had prepared around the woman's shoulder, and she met the lady's fierce gaze with an air of respect.

The cat meowed loudly.

"Oh, Miyuki!" the old woman sighed remorsefully. "We forgot your dinner!"


	34. Unexpected

**A/N: **I know it's been a while. Life is currently dragging me around like my foot is caught in its stirrup. But I dug up some old prompts today and committed to getting one up. So here it is. Enjoy! :D

**Prompt:** Toph/The Duke (Not sure if this was intended as a ship or not, but I ran with it.)

**Requester: **Skaterchick36

**Words: 436**

**Awkward**

After the failed invasion, Appa's saddle had suddenly become very crowded. With the sun already past its zenith, they didn't have much time to flee the Fire Nation before night caught them, and catch them it did. The sun's last legacy was dying in the western sky, and the stars were already twinkling brightly overhead, the landscape awash in moonlight. Katara and Aang sat together at the reins, both of them comforted by somewhat by the closeness of their friends and the moon smiling reassuringly down from above. Despite her nocturnal nature, the activities of the day left the waterbender dozing against the monk's arm. The remainder of the group was likewise engaged, sitting huddled shoulder-to-shoulder, slumbering underneath the moonlight.

Most of the kids snored uproariously, only bested by the steady flow of wind. Leaning up against the back of the saddle, Toph sat cross-legged, resting her head on the saddle's cantle, her face turned toward the sky. She was the only one who was wide awake, listening intently to the sounds that drifted to her through the wind.

Sokka's snore was a distinct, mouth-breathy hiss. He lay across the lip of the saddle at the front end, facing her, so his was the loudest voice carried straight to her on the wind. The earthbender sniffed with annoyance. Just her luck.

Haru, asleep beside the Water Tribe warrior, emitted a deep, rumbling snore, which came from within his chest and rolled outward. Toph could barely hear Teo's light snorts, and Katara's breathing was hardly discernable above the wind. Occasionally a sniffle from Aang let her know that he was still awake, guiding Appa, and probably still absorbed with thoughts of guilt for what had happened at the invasion.

The Duke sat to Toph's right, out like a light. He snuffled softly in his sleep, dreaming. In one particular fit, he brushed against the earthbender's arm as he squirmed, wrapped in the clutches of a dream. Whimpering, The Duke grasped Toph's sleeve and buried his face in it.

The earthbender had to will herself to not shift away from the snot-nosed eight-year-old, despite the fact that there wasn't much room to move over anyway. The Duke clung to her shoulder like a burr, mumbling discontentedly for a good minute before the creases in his face smoothed against Toph's arm, and he settled more comfortably into the hollow of her neck. His right arm curled around her forearm, and he sighed contentedly, his eyes still firmly closed.

Toph patted the boy's hand stiffly.

"Well," she whispered, resting her chin reluctantly in the boy's tasseled hair, "This is awkward."


	35. Catching Up

**A/N:** Okay, this is a really old prompt. From forever ago. I started it, and left it hanging on a word document buried in the files on my computer, which caught a virus two weeks ago and appeared to wipe out everything on the hard drive. You can imagine my horror. You can also imagine my utter relief when, with the help of my tech-savvy dad, I was able to recover almost everything, which had just been hidden instead of actually deleted. While turning over the stones I found this unfinished prompt and decided to…well, finish it. For old time's sake. So here it is.

**Prompt: **On Ji. Bumi. Sokka. Keeping the Peace.

**Requester: **Formerly Known as Anon

**Words: **654

* * *

**Catching Up**

The schoolgirl stared, and Aang tried not to fidget under her shocked gaze. He bowed.

"Nice to see you again, On Ji," he smiled, fighting the urge to rub the back of his neck with embarrassment. He never imagined that she and the rest of his school friends would turn up at Zuko's New Era Festival, especially after all this time.

The airbender was sixteen now, but, flanked by his friends, On Ji easily recognized the familiar gleam in his eyes, despite his shaven head and golden robes.

Aang stood erect, his back as straight as an arrow, at a loss as he tried to piece together a way to approach the conversation. From where she stood at the airbender's shoulder, Katara nudged him with an elbow encouragingly. Behind the waterbender, Aang heard Bumi's low cackle of amusement and Sokka's snuffles of laughter, and tried not to grit his teeth with frustration.

On Ji dipped her head respectfully, snapping out of her shock enough to remind herself that she was speaking to an Avatar—to _the _Avatar. "You're…not Kuzon, are you." It was less of a question, and more of a statement, full of realization.

The airbender shook his head ruefully. "No," he offered a weak smile, "He was my friend—a long time ago."

"Oh," On Ji nodded understandingly. After a pause, she added, "It's just—I've never met another person with that name."

Aang cocked his head curiously. "What do you mean?"

"Well," On Ji ventured, "It was my grandfather's name—my mom's father."

Aang's eyes widened. Behind him, Sokka whistled, muttering, "Wow."

Sokka crossed his arms and exchanged a bemused glance with King Bumi, smirking. "Well isn't that a peculiar coincidence."

Katara's eyebrow rose. "Didn't see that coming."

A half-crazed chuckle rose in Bumi's throat. "No wonder you've taken such a shine to her, Aang," the old earthbender laughed.

Aang and On Ji's faces turned a similar color of pink.

"So, On Ji," Katara cut in, rescuing them both, "How's Hide doing?"

The schoolgirl winced visibly. "He and I broke up a little over two years ago."

The waterbender mentally slapped herself. "Oh…I'm sorry."

On Ji shrugged. "Since then, he was expelled because of a fight. He beat up a student for acting interested in me. Typical Hide." She sounded far from sympathetic.

"Oh," came Katara's stalled response. She shot a helpless glance toward Aang.

"What about Shoji?" the airbender offered, remembering his partner in the games of hide-and-explode he played while at the school.

On Ji brightened. "He's here. He claimed to witness the cave tunnel you disappeared into collapse on itself of its own regard. No one believed him…but I guess I know now," she laughed sheepishly, "He was telling the truth. And it all makes sense now, too. The crazy dances, the fun-loving spirit, disappearing so quickly…"

"Aw," Sokka crooned, "You missed us? How sweet!"

Aang leveled him with his best disapproving-Avatar stare before turning his attention back to On Ji. "Sorry about that. We would've stayed longer, but…we were kind of on a tight schedule."

On Ji smiled, crossing her arms over her chest. "If it means anything, Shoji and I decided we'd organize a yearly underground dance in your honor. The band adopted the name 'Flameo Hotman'. It's been a great hit for two years running."

Aang grinned, exchanging an excited glance with Katara. "We might have to check it out this year. Still underground, you say?"

On Ji nodded sadly. "The Headmaster still is adamant that dancing is not an appropriate expression of patriotism. One day it'll happen. Good things come to those who wait."

Bumi appeared between Aang and On Ji, placing a withered hand on both of their shoulders, cracking a toothy smile. His sharp-witted and knowledgeable gaze drifted back and forth between them. Emitting a chortle of laughter accompanied by his trademark snort, Bumi spoke.

"Good things also come to those…who dance."

* * *

**A/N: **This one is random, I admit it. Not very organized, didn't really follow the prompt (added the necessary Kataang, of course), odd ending, a couple of psyches as to which direction it was heading. So essentially it left more questions than answers. But hopefully it was thought provoking? Maybe? I won't know unless you review. ^_^


	36. Spotlight

**Prompt: **Spelling Bee

**Requester: **Mildly Rabid (Took long enough, amirite?)

**Words: **737

* * *

**Spotlight (aka Unexpectedly Undercover, Pt. 2)**

"What is this?" Aang complained in a strained whisper, slouching in his seat. "They're just spelling words!"

Katara, seated next to him with her arms crossed over her chest, smirked smugly. "I told you it would be boring."

Aang sighed. "Even now that the war is over, the Fire Nation still doesn't know how to have proper fun. It's almost like…" An unreadable look suddenly crossed the airbender's face, and Katara peered at him suspiciously, her eyes narrowed.

"Aang, whatever you have in mind, my answer is _no._"

"But, Katara—" the boy's protest, which had drawn a few annoyed glances from fellow spectators, was abruptly cut off by a sharp movement of the waterbender's hand.

"_No,_" Katara repeated, her voice lowering to a stern hiss. "I know you, Aang. These people don't need to be introduced to _your _fun. It's just too much of an overload. Besides, were not supposed to draw attention to ourselves."

"Integration, Katara," Aang countered, minding his volume. He lifted an index finger matter-of-factly. "I'm tagging a personal mission onto our main task. This personal goal will be to plant a seed of creativity and fun back into this dismal little town." He made as if to stand. "My first order of business will be to enter this contest."

"What?" Katara grabbed his sleeve, tugging him back down into his seat. Behind them, a lady glared at Katara and spat out a quick _hush._

Katara averted her eyes and grasped Aang's sleeve more firmly, leaning over to whisper angrily into his ear. "I'm _not_ going to let you inject mayhem into this town. Sit down!"

Aang obeyed reluctantly. Immediately afterward, he pulled a crumpled little flyer from the folds of his tunic, and, straightening it, he pointed out a section of it that detailed the applicant criteria. "Look," he whispered, "It says here that anyone is welcome, as long as they are between the ages of six and eighteen. And the older age group doesn't begin until later tonight. I bet they would still let me sign up!"

Katara bit her lip, drawing her eyes carefully over the portion of calligraphy Aang had directed her to. She glanced over the rules, and after a long moment of consideration, relented. "I suppose…" she began, and Aang gave a squeak of excitement and grabbed her hand, half-dragging the waterbender out of her seat and up the aisle toward the theatre's lobby area.

Katara rolled her eyes. "You _definitely _are spending too much time with Sokka."

When the two teenagers bounced to the sign-up table, the middle aged woman manning it didn't look up, scrawling busily on the parchment laid before her. She paused momentarily to push her spectacles back into place on the bridge of her nose and dip the quill into an ink dish. Then she resumed her writing, ignoring the pair of adolescents that had dared attempt to disturb her.

"_Ahem,_" Aang cleared his throat, and leaned forward, trying to get the woman's attention.

Katara fidgeted. She hadn't yet been brave enough to interact so…_boldly…_with the residents of the town they had settled in for their brief time as 'short-term sleeper agents'. She stood slightly behind Aang, peering over his shoulder at the sullen lady before them.

Finally, after a sigh of annoyance, the woman put down her quill and lifted her chin, leveling Aang with a beady-eyed stare. "What is it? You're too late for signing up for the Bee, the contestant slots have already been filled."

The airbender visibly deflated. "Oh," he frowned.

Katara, inwardly relieved, put a comforting hand on Aang's shoulder. "It's all right. Better luck next time." The waterbender started to pull him away.

The woman at the table adjusted her glasses once more, squinting. "However," she intervened, her solid voice reverberating through the air, "One of our junior word callers was unexpectedly dismissed this afternoon with an illness, and we have an extra spot open. Normally the junior callers must be above 18 years old," Aang made a face, "But in this case I suppose I can make an exception. If you're willing?"

"Of course!" Although Aang had no idea what he was getting into, his eagerness was painfully evident, and it made Katara wince.

The woman's amber eyes narrowed, and she dipped her quill in the ink jar with a businesslike deftness as Aang grinned at her. "Name for the record please?"

Katara grimaced.

* * *

**A/N:** I know I am undeserving for any reviews, seeing as how badly I've neglected my fanfics-but they still make me smile. :)


	37. Little Glimpse of Light

**A/N:** Long time no update, I know. I can't apologize enough to prevent the inevitable and indifferent hatred. Good thing I don't actually own anything A:TLA related…

**Prompt: **Aang, Sokka, drawing, the avatar state

**Requester:** **GirlWaterShaman **(Thanks so much!)

**Words:** 860

* * *

**Little Glimpse of Light**

After sunset, the light began to pale, fading from the vibrant and rosy colors that had painted the sky to a dusky orange, fading to gray. The wind ruffled the treetops affectionately, and the golden walls of Ba Sing Se were darkening into a dull brown. Within the walls, a lone figure leaned against the handrail that marked the entrance to the most popular tea shop in the Upper Ring.

Aang's chin was propped in his hands as he gazed over the dying sun's last rays. Most of his friends had retired for the night, and Iroh's rumbling snores could already be heard in the back room the old General had made into an apartment.

"_Ugh, stupid ink!"_

The airbender's ears perked up at the sound of a frustrated grunt. He turned toward the noise, and spotted Sokka hunched over a table in the corner of the tea shop's main room, where the customers were served. The warrior's injured leg was bound tightly in a splint and bandages, and his wooden crutch was propped up against the edge of the table beside his chair. That, however, wasn't the object of Sokka's attention.

A sheet of parchment was spread out before the Water tribesman, and a small clay container sat beside it, filled with ink. The source of Sokka's anguish seemed to be the thin writing brush in his hand, and a small splotch of black ink that had dripped onto the bleached goat-sheep skin.

Aang stepped away from the balcony and across the threshold of the shop, shutting the large slatted doors behind him with a soft _click. _Muted orange rays of sunlight slanted in through the shuttered windows and lit the floor near the door with the day's last dying throes, but most of the shop fell into deep shadow.

Weaving through the rows of tables, the airbender made his way toward Sokka's corner booth, where a small open-flame lamp provided the warrior with light to work by. Situating himself in a chair across from Sokka, Aang folded his arms across his chest.

"How goes the drawing?"

The Water tribesman glanced up, exasperation flashing in his crystal blue eyes. "Not good," he muttered. After a moment of silence, Sokka set his brush down on the table with an irritated sigh. "I wish there was some sort of device that could allow people to instantly draw a perfect picture of what is in front of them." He propped up his elbows on the table and dropped his head into his hands, staring dejectedly at the parchment from between ink-stained fingers. "Then you wouldn't actually need _talent _to do portraits. _Ugh,_" Sokka groaned again, folding his hands on the table, leaving a smear of ink across his left cheek.

Aang smiled wanly. "Like anything else, drawing just takes practice," the airbender's smile widened. "While drawing realistically is good for mapmaking and some jobs like portrait painting, it's not the only kind of drawing there is." Aang pressed his index finger to the parchment, pointing to the indistinct blotch of ink in emphasis on his words. "Monk Gyatso always told me that drawing is just as much an art as it is a science. It's more than replicating reality, it's recreating reality through your eyes."

Sokka leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms over his chest and eyeing his friend strangely. "So you're saying, I don't have to be realistic as long as I am true to what or who the subject of the drawing is?"

The airbender nodded. "Yes, exactly."

Sokka's eyes lit up, and, finally in the grip of inspiration, he picked up the brush again and dabbed it into the container of ink.

Seeing the effect his words had on the Water tribesman, Aang leaned forward inquisitively. "So…what _are _you drawing, anyway?"

Sokka suddenly jerked forward, pressing his free hand protectively over the parchment and scowling angrily. "It's a surprise! You're not allowed to see it yet!" The warrior's blue eyes flashed with radiant light—something that Aang had never seen on anyone but himself or in a vision of one of his past lives.

The airbender recoiled, half apologetic and half frightened of what had come over his non-bender friend. Aang held up his palms in an appeasing manner. "Okay—okay! I'm sorry. I'll just—" he searched for an excuse, "Go to bed now, I guess. Have fun." Then he got up from the table and scrambled toward the staircase that led to the second-floor apartment where the rest of his friends had probably already turned in for the night.

When Aang reached the first landing, he glanced back over the banister to where Sokka sat huddled over his soon-to-be masterpiece, and wondered. Had he been imagining it? Or did Sokka possess something that even the Avatar wasn't aware of?

Suddenly, the warrior turned up his chin to glare scathingly at the airbender peering over the railing, his eyes still sparkling with an unnatural glow.

Aang made a quick escape, leaving Sokka muttering and laughing quietly to himself as he wielded the small brush with a deftness that caused ink to dance, sparkling, over the parchment.

* * *

**A/N:** The oddballness of this particular ficlet has resulted from my deep-seated personal belief that the future Avatar Korra is a descendant of Sokka. If any of you have seen some of the creators' drawings of Korra, the resemblance is startling. CHECK IT! :D


	38. Voices

**Prompt: **Sokka/Toph/Singing Nomads

**Requester: RubyT**

**Words: 858**

* * *

**Voices**

"No."

"Oh, come on, Toph, it won't be _that_ b—"

"No, Sokka."

The warrior abruptly closed his mouth at the tone of her voice.

Sitting across the campfire, twiddling his fingers across the surface of his mandolin, Chong lounged with his back propped against a boulder. He struck a chord invitingly. "Come on, little lady! Sometimes the only way to let loose is to loose the warble-bird inside you!"

Toph sniffed. "There is no sort of bird inside me. Unless you count the turkey-chicken I ate for lunch." The surly little earthbender crossed her arms over her chest.

"Speaking of chickens," Sokka pouted, and had Toph been able to see, she would've thought that the expression was very out of place on the warrior's face. As it was, however, she simply glowered at him from beneath her black bangs. Chong, oblivious to the earthbender's obstinate denial, played another merry chord, humming a few notes to a song he knew.

"Singing is easy," Lily piped, from where she sat cross-legged beside her husband. "You just let your voice roll—" she made a wave motion with her arm, "—along the swells and dips of your feelings."

"…_Don't fall in love with the travelling girl…_" Chong chorused, his fingers dancing expertly along the strings of his instrument as everyone ignored him.

"My feelings have neither," Toph replied monotonously, in a desperate attempt to drag the conversation away from singing. Beside her, Sokka knitted his brow, thoughtful.

"…_She'll leave you broke, and broken-hearted…_"

The water tribe warrior's eyes lit up. "Your feelings just need a little encouragement," he nudged the earthbender with his elbow, grinning. "Give us a song you know."

"I'm not into music," Toph muttered, though Sokka could tell by the slight twitch of her lips that she was just being difficult. He scooted closer to her, and, with an obnoxious look of childish excitement on his face, he bent over and whispered something that the nomads couldn't hear.

"Why _that _one?" Toph snorted.

"When we all were in Ba Sing Se—you and Iroh sang that together out on the awning. It clearly means a lot to him," Sokka lifted his chin to look at her pointedly, "—and to you."

"It's not that special," the metalbender grumbled, though she thought back on the memory Sokka had mentioned with a fondness in her heart. It was more the man singing the song, rather than the song in and of itself, that made it significant to her. Iroh had become almost akin to a father to her over the past few months— especially after the war had ended and Toph had yet to restore her relationship with her parents. The young earthbender sighed.

"Sing it," Sokka prompted.

This brought forth a chorus of encouraging words from their nomadic companions.

"You can do it!"

"I'll pick up on the melody and play along with you!"

"Let's hear that pretty voice of yours!"

Toph hesitated, for what reason, she didn't know. She wasn't a spectacular singer—then again, neither was anyone else present. Chong could hold a tune, but that was as far as his vocals went. Lily oftentimes occupied herself with her tambourine and Moku with his drum. What she felt was—was that fear? It clutched at her throat, refusing her even the ability to speak.

Toph blinked angrily. She was an earthbender! Toph, the Blind Bandit—powerful, fearless—what was this wall—this…embarrassment? It was just singing! She was among friends. Maybe her parents had been right. Maybe she was just a tiny little blind girl in need of protection and isolation. Maybe by branching out, she had become what she had always been told she was—helpless.

She felt Sokka's knuckles brush her arm, and he leaned over once more, murmuring, "Go ahead. I'll sing with you."

A moment passed in silence, and he didn't take his hand from her arm, as if he was trying to supply her with his courage.

Toph straightened, suddenly empowered and determined. She was not helpless. She was not weak. Sometimes, like every strong person she knew, she needed support from others to stay strong—to push forward. So she sucked in the next breath, and with the resulting exhale, sang out vibrantly in a quivering mezzo-soprano:

"_Leaves from the vine,_

_Falling so slow,_

_Like fragile, tiny shells,_

_Drifting in the foam…_"

Quietly, Sokka joined her, in his own off-key harmony, as Chong plucked on alongside their melody and Lily and Moku kept beat.

"_Little soldier boy,_

_Come marching home,_

_Brave soldier boy,_

_Comes marching home."_

Toph's cheeks were damp as she finished, the deep note resonating in the still evening air even after her lips fell closed. Impulsively, she fell into Sokka's arms, and he received her sympathetically (though her behavior slightly confused him), wrapping his arms around her shoulders. He tried to comfort her with the embrace and awkwardly patted her back as she trembled, tears falling steadily but silently. Grateful for his care, she was liberated to set her mind on what she knew she needed to do. _Mom and Dad, _she thought,

…_I'm coming home._

* * *

**A/N:**For all who may have gotten this story alert and thought "Who is this person? Oh...wait...yeah...", well, yes, I'm still alive! Oh the busy-ness of life that prevents fanfics from being written. I promise I haven't given up on this series or any of my others. As per usual, this chapter was not beta-ed, so feel free to go all Grammar Nazi on me in a review. For any of you that are reading this-thanks for sticking with me!_  
_


	39. Only Peace

**A/N: **Long time no update! Loyal readers, requesters, and reviewers—I just want to send out a huge thank-you for all that you have meant to me over the years and now. It's thanks to your feedback that I continue to write, to improve in my writing, and to enjoy the art. I couldn't have done it without all of you, and I appreciate each and every one of you so incredibly much! And in order to say thank you properly—here's another shortie! Enjoy!

**Prompt**: Katara/Aang, Waterbending, Moon

**Requester: Balseirocharmed **(You're awesome, as always)

**Words: 1,541**

* * *

**Only Peace**

In the purple twilight, cicada-crickets were out in full force, their cacophonous music swelling and falling with the steady beating of her heart.

Katara sat cross-legged with her back propped up against a boulder that was part of the stony outcropping that bordered on side of their campsite, staring up at the sky. Purple was fading to black as thousands of twinkling stars blinked into existence, clustering in an eternal dance as the full moon lit the landscape with an eerie blue glow.

Several meters away, Sokka threw a bucket of water over the campfire, quenching it. Glancing over his shoulder, he looked at his sister with a gleam of concern in his blue eyes.

"You coming to bed?"

Katara pulled her eyes away from the moon and stared through her brother with dead eyes. "I think I'll stay here for a while."

Pressing his lips together in a worried line, Sokka nodded wordlessly, knowing it'd be useless to argue. The trip with Zuko to avenge their mother had been hard on her, he knew. When he had ventured to question the firebender about their exploits, all he would say was that she made the right choice, and now she had to come to terms with it.

Tipping his chin upward toward the large, round yellow moon, Sokka sighed. It didn't help that tonight was the full moon. Since their mishap with Hama, Katara was always sleepless on these nights. The warrior rubbed the back of his neck and glanced once more at his sister before sighing again. Resignedly, he ducked into the tent and settled down to sleep.

Everyone else was likewise out for the count, or at least close to it. Toph's earthen tent was closed up tight, with no sign of wakefulness from within. Zuko and Suki slumbered within their respective tents. Across the campsite, Aang was spread-eagled on the foreleg of a snoring Appa, with Momo curled up on his belly.

Katara took no notice of any of them, instead, her focus was turbulent, fighting her grief and her memories, clutching the thick grass in white-knuckled fists. Before she knew what she was doing, she had sucked the water from the grass beneath her, and the condensation clung to her hands, dribbling down her fingers like blood.

Gasping, the waterbender wrenched her hands from the grass and drew her knees to her chin, wrapping her arms around them. Trembling, Katara buried her face in her arms. Her shoulders shook with silent sobs.

Aang awoke confused, with a purring Momo sleeping on his stomach. Staring up at the sky, the airbender lay still, listening, wondering why he had been pulled from sleep. The cicada-crickets had quieted down to an occasional droning chirrup, and the campsite was dark and silent. Appa's rumbling snore was all that could be heard.

The airbender was dozing again when the noise of a distant hiccup startled him awake once more. Careful to not disturb the sleeping lemur, Aang sat up, looking out over the quiet camp. A slight movement caught his eye, and in the moonlight, he saw Katara, sitting on the far side near a rock outcropping. Curious and concerned, Aang glanced up at the sky, and an expression of understanding came over his face when he saw the full moon.

Carefully slipping off Appa's foreleg, the airbender wasted no time in making his way toward her, carefully skirting the remains of the campfire so he wouldn't disturb anyone who was asleep.

Katara's tears had already dried up when she heard Aang kneel down on the grass beside her, and she was resting her forehead on her arms. Gently, he touched her shoulder. She lifted her chin up to look at him forlornly, her cerulean eyes red-rimmed and bloodshot.

"I'm sorry," Aang whispered, for a lack of something more comforting to say.

The waterbender shook her head, gazing out over the campsite with unfocused and troubled eyes.

Aang regarded her sadly. His eyes drifted from her to the bright moon. Suddenly, they lit up.

"Katara," he murmured, touching the waterbender's arm. "Come with me."

He took her hand, and she allowed herself to be led away from the center of the campsite, toward the small creek that meandered its way over some rocks down the hill.

They walked for several minutes, under low-hanging branches and over logs, and Katara kept her silence, not knowing where Aang was taking her or why. He offered no explanation, and she didn't mind.

The quiet gurgling sound of the creek soon reached her ears, and Aang pushed aside a thick, prickly branch of a cedar tree, still guiding her by the hand. She stepped up on the smooth surface of a boulder, and her eyes adjusted to the light of the moon as it sparkled over the dark water.

The airbender began to pick their way upstream along the pebbly, and at times dangerously steep, embankment, to where the stream widened and deepened, flowing faster over the stones in a pulsing _shhhhh—shhhh._

The stony embankment grew steeper and steeper, until they entered a small gorge, walls of sediment rising up on either side of them, stark black against the velvet sky. The water was moving along even quicker here, sending up clouds of spray, and the going was slower. Carefully they picked their way over weathered rocks, slippery from the creek's mist. Katara clung tighter to Aang's hand, all her energy focused on placing her feet on sturdy ground.

Once or twice she slipped, but Aang braced against her and kept her from falling. Her breath was coming quicker now, panting slightly with exertion from effort and concentration.

The sound of the rushing brook heightened to a roar, and suddenly, as Aang helped Katara over a large outcropping of boulders, silence broke over them.

Katara marveled at the scene. A pond, with its water as still as glass, lay before them, sparkling brilliantly in the starlight. A tiny waterfall, thin as a sheet of paper, fell from cliffs so tall that their top was wreathed in mist. It trickled into the pond, scarcely sending a ripple out over the surface of the water. Thick vegetation, shades of silver and gray in the moonlight, clustered around the edges of the pond, drinking in life from its depths.

"It's beautiful, Aang," the waterbender breathed, her woes almost forgotten.

"The stream is fed from melting snow that flows from the mountaintops," the airbender replied, by way of explanation. "I saw this when we were flying over a couple days ago and thought it'd be fun to come. Since we can't sleep anyway," with a twist of his wrist, he drew an orb of water from the pond, twirling it around his hand, "I thought now was as good a time as any."

He smiled, holding the orb out to her. A wave of fear suddenly crashed over the waterbender, bringing back with it the terror of that night—the horror of what she had become.

"I—I can't," she took a hesitant step back.

Aang's expression sobered, but he withdrew his hand. "I'm sorry—"

Katara's heart sank at the look on his face, and despite her feelings, she resolved to not allow his efforts to be wasted. She lifted her palms encouragingly, saying, "It's okay. Thank you for showing me this place."

The corners of Aang's mouth twitched upward, and he met her gaze, lifting the water from his hand and placing it gently in her outstretched palms.

"So," the airbender began, quirking an eyebrow upward teasingly, "Want to practice a few advanced moves?"

Katara's mouth uneasily, gazing down at the water she held in her hands and allowing it to flow over the contour of her fingers, "I don't know Aang, I just—"

"I won't use any other bending, airbender's honor!" the Avatar beamed at her, his face hopeful. Silently, he drew a cord of water from the pond, playfully flaring it around his shoulders.

Katara smiled at his enthusiasm, finally acquiescing. "Okay," she murmured, lifting her eyes to meet his—only to find air.

With a swift sweep of his arms, Aang had skipped out onto the pond, laughing. He left a bewildered Katara on the shore, blinking. After a few seconds, her mind caught up with the action, and she gave chase.

Two hours later, they sat breathless together on the far bank, watching as the pond quietly evened out, the last of their ripples settling into the mirror-like surface once again. The moon was sinking low in the sky, indicating the lateness (or rather, the earliness) of the hour.

Nudging the waterbender with his elbow, Aang gestured with his chin toward the star-studded sky. "It's getting late."

A yawn suddenly welled up from Katara's throat, wordlessly agreeing with Aang's assessment. She glanced up, regarding her friend with a pleased expression, her heart content. After a moment of comfortable silence, she proposed, "We should probably get back."

"Yeah," Aang stood up, boosting himself with airbending, and offered her his hand. Gratefully, she took it, and he helped her to her feet. Linking arms once more, they started out on their return hike. The tension that had previously strained the air between them had settled, like the ripples on the surface of the pool.

Now, there was only peace.

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**A/N:** Grace and peace to you, everyone! :)


	40. Objection

**Prompt: **Zuko's lady friends meet up post-series

**Requestor: Mike50333 **(This one's an old one!)

**Words: **974

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**Objection**

The rectangular room was dimly lit, and the crimson walls were supported by gold-encrusted pillars that gleamed dully in the torchlight. In the center of the room, a four-sided table made from heavy, expensive mahogany was surrounded by six high-backed chairs. Four of them were occupied by hooded figures, their black robes adding to the depressing mood of the place.

A brooding silence hung over them as they waited. One of them sat perfectly still and erect, arms tucked demurely in the billowy sleeves of the cloak. The other had kicked her feet kicked up on the table, exposing the muddy black leather boots of a wealthy working-class citizen. The third had folded her arms and rested them on the table, clearly highlighting the lack of training in the etiquette of nobility. The fourth cradled a cup of steaming tea in calloused hands that had been furiously scrubbed before this meeting. She fidgeted occasionally with the china cup, marveling at its exquisite artwork.

None of them could properly see each other in the darkness with their hoods pulled low over their faces, and they had only been informed of one thing: that this meeting was of utmost importance to the national security of the Fire Nation.

The heavy door at the head of the room swung open with a groan of discontent, and all four figures looked up expectantly, only to see another hooded figure enter the room, followed by one more, whose robe seemed a bit too baggy and long for her small frame. Their faces, like the others, were obscured in the faint lighting. There was a collective heaving of shoulders, though the sighs were muffled by the intensity of the atmosphere.

Both figures took a seat, leaving only the ornate chair at the head of the table open. All of the room's occupants seemed to focus their attention on the silver-and-gold overlay of this throne, knowing that the person who called this meeting must be very high up in the government.

A few minutes later, the door opened again, and in came a woman with ebony hair and a plain, dark maroon gown. Behind her, several guards entered, placing more torches in their hooks on the wall, until the room was quite bright. Then they exited, closing the door behind them.

The noblewoman strode to the head of the table, smiling at the hooded figures who she had called to gather.

"You may now remove your hoods."

They did so.

"Mai," Katara exclaimed from her place at the table, "What's this all about?" She gazed at the other faces at the table. Most she recognized. Some, she did not.

The woman with the tea looked up at the noblewoman tentatively. "I don't know what I have to do with Fire Nation security. I am a simple pauper from the lower ring of Ba Sing Se."

Mai smiled, reaching into one of the folds of her dress to remove a slip of parchment. She carefully unfolded it and laid it out on the table in front of the girl. "Do you recognize this man, Jin?"

Jin, for that was her name, gazed at the image, intrigued. The man's face would have been unremarkable, a description of hundreds of the men she had met or seen in her lifetime—if it weren't for the scar that marred the left half of his face.

She exhaled softly. "That's Lee."

The young woman reached to touch the parchment, but Mai snapped it up before she could do so.

"Wrong. His name is Zuko. Fire Lord Zuko. And that is why we are here today."

"What?" An indignant voice came from the other side of the room. The woman had shrugged off her cloak entirely, and she sported a bright vermilion tattoo on one of her shoulders in the shape of a serpent. "What in the world does Prince Prissy want with us now? I have things to do, people to arm-wrestle." She inspected her fingernails impatiently.

Mai leveled a cold glare at the woman. "We are here," she began, "Because each and every one of you has at one point in time met and interacted with Zuko for some period of time, and…"

Another of the girls, sitting at the far end of the table, raised her hand.

Mai suppressed the urge to roll her eyes. "Yes, Song?"

"Um," the Earth Kingdom girl began, "I don't understand why our having met Zuko would be any sort of reason for this meeting, and I..."

"She was getting to that," Jun interrupted, "So be quiet so we can finish this and I can get on with my life."

Song pressed her lips together, ashamed.

"Let's continue," Jin encouraged, trying to take the attention off of Song's embarrassment.

Mai straightened, stiffly taking her seat and folding her hands in her lap. "The reason I have called you here is that Zuko has just only recently proposed to marry me."

"Oh, that's fantastic, Mai!" Katara placed her hands on the table, leaning forward, excited. "Congratulations!"

"Yes, thank you," Mai replied, "But during our engagement, I wanted to address any possible loose ends."

"Loose ends?" Jin's expression was one of confusion. "Are you implying that we are…? That we would possibly be interested in…?"

"Ew!"

"We just went on _one date!_"

"Gross!"

"He wasn't even that into me!"

"Never!"

"He stole my family's ostrich horse!"

Everyone stopped mid-protest to stare at Song.

"Well," she shrugged helplessly, "He _did _steal it."

"So," Mai redirected, "None of you have any objections or feelings that would hinder our marriage?"

"None at all!"

"I'm so happy for you both!"

"Please, I wouldn't care if I never saw his face again!"

"No!"

"Well," said the fifth girl, "I never got my life-changing field trip with Zuko."

Everyone gaped.

Toph stared blindly back at them. "What?"

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**A/N: **Thanks for reading, guys! I haven't written in a while and I've realized how much I miss it! This is my first attempt at a comeback. Let me know what you think!


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